Broken Memories
by Conssunshine581
Summary: Duo wakes up from a head injury to find out that the war has been over for two years and he's married to Heero! Will he ever regain his memory or will he have to fall in love with Heero all over again?
1. Broken Memories

Hey there! This is my first full-length Gundam Wing FF. I've written a lot of one-shots, but this one turned out to practically be a freakin novel! Just kidding, but still. Read and review-let me know if you liked it!^^

Duo woke up and groaned. He was tired and hungry and felt like a ton of Gundanium bricks had landed on top of him. His head ached, throbbing in time with his slow, but thankfully steady heartbeat, and it felt fuzzy as though he had a cold. To be honest, his whole freaking body hurt, but his head was the center of his pain at the moment. Images of what had happened before he woke flashed through his mind, and he groaned again as he recalled them.

Man, that mission had NOT gone according to plan. By all rights, he should have died back there when the hanger collapsed. An OZ soldier had discovered one of the many bombs he'd planted around the mobile suit production facility and had accidentally triggered it, setting it off out of Duo's carefully planned sequence. The Gundam pilot was a demolitions expert—as long as everyone left his shit alone. Because of the soldier's interference, a bomb closer to the exit had gone off, thus trapping Duo in the hanger while the rest exploded randomly, set off by their counterparts.

The last thing Duo remembered was running desperately in the other direction, hoping and praying that he would make it to an inner exit before the whole building went up in flames. He hadn't really expected to make it, especially when the ceiling gave way and huge cinderblocks and steel reinforcements had started to rain down from above. Something had hit Duo hard across the shoulder, smashing bones before something else hit the back of his head and he passed out.

Yes, by all rights he should be dead. Seeing as he was not, Duo had to wonder what had happened after he fell into unconsciousness. Perhaps he had been seen by another OZ soldier? But really, if the place was collapsing, why would the solider bother to save him? It would have been more in character for him to leave the curséd Gundam pilot for dead or shoot him before rushing for an exit.

Duo opened his eyes and looked up, a little startled to see the Perfect Soldier leaning over his bed. Heero's face was blurry and with his head all fuzzy, Duo had a hard time focusing on the other boy's expression. "Hey, buddy, glad to see you made it out alive." He croaked, voice gravelly with sleep (and probably inhaled dust and smoke). "Status?"

Heero, relieved to see Duo finally awake, blinked at the other boy's odd statement, wondering at his choice of words to inquire about his condition. He answered anyways, rattling off what he had read on the doctor's chart. "Concussion and multiple bruises, especially on your left hip. A fractured ankle, but it should be mostly healed by now." He paused, and his eyes narrowed a little in anger. "You fell off the ladder while trying to fix the roof. I told you to leave it until I had time to help you, but you went out anyways. You must have slipped in the rain, because when I came home I found you on the ground under the ladder." He took a deep breath, reaching out to squeeze Duo's left hand tightly; the one that wasn't attached to the IV by his side. "When I saw you, I thought you were dead. You scared the hell out of me, koi."

Duo gasped at the name (a shortened version of 'koibito', the Japanese word for 'lover'), inhaled spit down his dry throat, and choked. "What did you call me?" he wheezed as Heero quickly offered him a glass of water with a straw. He sucked at the straw frantically as Heero answered, canting his head in confusion at Duo's question.

"I said 'koi'. Everyone here at the hospital knows. I had to tell them we were married so they would let me in to see you."

Duo blinked and looked around, latching on to the words 'everyone' and 'hospital', immediately forgetting everything else Heero told him. At first he had assumed he was in some sort of safe house where the pilots usually sojourned between missions, but now he could clearly see that he _was_ in a hospital. His room was a sterile white square with pale green furnishings. A heart monitor beeped softly in the background, sounding farther away than it was thanks to Duo's hazy hearing.

Fear suddenly curled in his stomach.

"What were you thinking, Heero? How could you risk taking me to a hospital?!" Duo whisper-shrieked, keeping his voice down in case they were overheard. "You'll endanger us all; you know warrants are out for our arrest! I wasn't hurt that bad—you could have let Trowa take care of me in the safe house."

He tried to get up, ready to escape before OZ came looking for him. It was a wonder they hadn't been detected yet, especially since he and Heero were the most conspicuous Gundam pilots, having been caught and documented a few times by OZ in the past. His own movements made him dizzy and a little sick, but he fought it away in his desperation to leave.

Heero also experienced a feeling of gut-wrenching fear. "Duo, relax," he said, reaching out to restrain the other boy before he could pull out any of his IVs, "You're safe here. It's—it's…the war is over," he stated helplessly, not knowing what else to say. Duo clearly had been dreaming that they were still Gundam pilots during the war. Back then, it had been necessary for them to avoid hospitals and conventional health care facilities in case they were found there by OZ. They had been forced to tend each others' medical needs in the safe houses, using their basic knowledge to help one another. Trowa was usually deferred to on such matters, as he had the most military experience. They all knew what a risk it was—Quatre had nearly died of pneumonia once while his lover, tears in his eyes, had steadfastly refused to take him to a doctor—but it was necessary for the war. Duo had a right to be angry with him if he thought that was what had happened.

What _Duo_ didn't understand, however, was why in the world Heero would risk blowing their cover to admit him. Heero was the most stoic and focused of all of them, so what on Earth had he been thinking, allowing Duo to be treated in a hospital? Unless…

_Oh God!_ Duo thought, suddenly reaching around behind him to feel for his braid—what if Heero had cut if off so that he wouldn't be recognized? But, no, his searching hand found a long hank of braided hair, just as he had left it. So, if not that then…? His mind raced, trying to come up with an answer. That's when he remembered Heero's earlier reply.

"What do you mean, 'the war is over'?" he demanded angrily. He surely hadn't been out _that_ long. If this was some kind of joke to get him to lie still—

Heero reached up to pull his hand back down, seeing the strain in the IV lines. He looked intently into Duo's violet eyes, trying to gauge his reaction, wondering if his gut had been right, that Duo really did believe he had just been on a mission. "The war is over," he repeated. "It has been for two years. Duo…it's After Colony 198."

Duo froze, stunned. What was Heero saying? If he hadn't known better, he'd say Heero was joking or something, but Heero never joked.

"…What?" Duo whispered, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "But…no. I was…the ceiling…"

"Tell me what you remember," Heero urged, taking Duo's hand again, a motion he made without thinking about it, being so used to their common touch in the two years since the war.

Duo looked down at their joined hands, feeling more afraid than ever now, upset by Heero's attentiveness and familiarity. Not that he didn't care for Heero touching him, but it wasn't normal and that scared Duo even more than the fact that it seemed more and more likely that he had lost his memory.

Shaken, he quickly related all that he remembered of the failed mission, ending at the part when he blacked out after being hit by the falling ceiling debris.

Heero, too, looked eloquently stunned. He swallowed and said carefully, "I remember that mission. I heard the bombs go off before schedule. I ran to the hanger and managed to pull you out of the rubble before the whole ceiling came down. I did take you back to the safe house and Trowa set your arm—you'd broken your collarbone and had a serious concussion. You still have the scar from where the beam hit your shoulder…" Heero reached up to touch it lightly, the jagged line clearly visible where Duo's loose hospital gown gaped around his throat.

Duo frowned, trying to recall the situation despite the distraction of Heero's warm fingers still tracing his collarbone. "But, you were on the other side of the base. You were closer to the Gundams than the hanger..." Duo suddenly turned paler than he already was and his head throbbed angrily. "You didn't try to rescue me, did you? You idiot! You endangered the mission—AND yourself! You should have just left me!"

To his surprise, Heero cracked a bitter smile. "That's just what you said when you woke up in the safe house."

Duo glared at him, pushing away his hand from his shoulder. "Yeah? And what did you say then?" he asked severely.

"I told you that you still had the data disk that you downloaded before setting the bombs. I went back for it and rather than search you, I just carried you out and brought you to the rendezvous point where the others were waiting. We put you in Deathscythe and carried you both back to the safe house."

Duo relaxed a little, seeing that Heero had gone back for the good of the mission rather than for him. "Well, that's something. I still don't see why you rescued me rather than just take the disk. I was a liability; you should have just let the ceiling take me."

"I couldn't be sure that OZ wouldn't find you and try to get information out of you," Heero intoned, now sounding more like his normal Perfect Soldier self. He was getting upset and when he did, he usually reverted back to his cold soldier persona as though somehow that would keep him from becoming over-emotional.

"You should have put a bullet in me then! Put me out of my misery!" argued Duo, tears of frustration welling up in his eyes. They had all agreed, all promised that the missions came first and their lives came second. How dare Heero go against all that and save him at the expense of—of _everything_?!

"Stop, Duo!" Heero shouted, standing fast, hands clenched at his sides. He couldn't take it anymore. "Don't ever say that!" With that, he turned and rushed out of the room, leaving the door to slam behind him.

The braided boy was surprised out of his anger. What the hell had gotten into him? He had never seen Heero get so worked up. Or, at least, not that he remembered…

Duo jumped and reached automatically for his non-existent gun when the door opened again. He relaxed when a blonde head popped in and he caught Quatre's worried aqua eyes.

"Duo?" he asked quietly. Obviously he'd been waiting outside and had witnessed Heero's shouting and sudden departure.

"Hey, Q-man. C'mon in," Duo said, suddenly tired. He fell back into the pillows and groaned again as his sore head hit the bound feathers. Quatre came in and sat in Heero's vacated chair, leaning over to speak to Duo.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, but perhaps you and Heero should save your fights until you're well enough to run out after him?" the Winner advised jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. His space heart told him that something had just gone terribly wrong between the two and he was trying now to smooth it out.

Duo scoffed. "Why would I want to run after that anal-retentive jerk?" Why indeed? As he said it, Duo had a sudden wild urge to do just that, to run after Heero and somehow make him not angry anymore. The thought disturbed him and he tried to push it away. He became serious again as he added to his Arabian friend, "How could you let him risk the mission, Quatre?"

Quatre gave him the same funny look Heero had given him earlier. "Mission? I didn't know you were on Preventer's business; I thought you fell off a ladder."

Well, that settled it, then. Duo really _wasn't_ in the year he thought he was. Quatre had never been a very good actor and if Heero had been making some kind of sick joke, Quatre ruined it by his honest expression of puzzlement at Duo's statement. As it was, Duo was now forced to believe what Heero had told him, no matter how insane it seemed to him. He tried to sound frivolous as he filled Quatre in, but his voice wavered with a hint of the fear that was creeping up from deep in his stomach.

"Uh, I hate to break it to ya, Q-man, but according to Heero, I've lost my memory. The last thing I remember is being on a mission in the war in A.C. 195. Heero said it's A.C. 198."

Quatre didn't even have the decency to hide his horrified look. "He-he's right, Duo. It's finally a time of peace." He paused, looking thoughtful. "The doctor _did _say you'd hit your head pretty hard. Maybe, when you did, your memory reverted back to the last time you'd taken a similar injury?" He gave Duo a concerned look, wondering how the boy could be so flippant about his condition.

"Can it do that?" Duo asked incredulously.

Quatre sighed. "I think it just did," he pointed out. "It's the only explanation. I'll have to ask the doctor about it." He seemed to pull himself together. "Well, at least we know you're alright. You've been asleep for almost five days. You gave Heero quite a scare."

Memory flashed at the mention of the other boy's name and Duo heard Heero's voice from moments ago echo inside his head again: _"I said 'lover'. Everyone here knows. I had to tell them we were married so they would let me in to see you…"_

Feeling as though he'd just been doused with a bucket of ice-cold water, Duo looked over at his left hand to see a strangely familiar golden band around his fourth finger. "Quatre…" he whispered, dreading the answer he knew was coming, "Where did I fall off that ladder?"

At that moment, Quatre seemed to reach the same conclusion Duo suddenly had and his aqua eyes widened in shock. He answered brokenly, knowing it had to be said and guessing now why Heero had burst out of the room with tears in his deep blue eyes. "You were at your and Heero's house, in the yard. Duo…you've been married for almost two years…"


	2. Shattered Dreams

Yay, Chapter 2! I really love this story-it's surprisingly easy to write. the only problem is, I keep wanting to go back and watch the series again...Must...reisit...

**Chapter 2: Shattered Dreams**

Shock flooded Duo's system and for the first time, he was glad of the pain killers in his IV because they blunted the strongest of his emotions. Still, Quatre's news hit him like a freight train at full speed and his already aching head reeled with the implications of his current situation. The war was over, he had lost two years of his memory, and he was _married_—to none other than _Heero Yuy_. Any one of those facts alone was enough to make a normal person pass out with the stress, but with all combined Duo still managed to remain conscious. Shocked beyond belief, but conscious, and then only through sheer force of will.

Quatre remained silent, letting his friend process the bombs he had just dropped. He could see many of the emotions flitting across the braided boy's face, but more, he could _feel_ them rattle around inside his own stricken heart. His space heart, so long connected to Duo's, recognized his pain and confusion and twinged in sympathy. Quatre's hand rose to settle over his breast, feeling his heart contract. He wished there were some way to spare Duo his current anguish, but this time his wounds were something only time and patience could heal. He didn't know much about memory loss in the case of concussions, but he made a mental note to ask the doctors about the possibility of Duo regaining his memory as soon as he could corner one.

Eventually, Duo seemed to calm a little, his ringed hand loosening its frigid grasp of the bedclothes and his features smoothing out. He let loose a long sigh, relaxing his tired body back into the mattress and pile of pillows behind him, reveling in their softness. The last thing he remembered sleeping on was a damp floor in a run-down utility building, but his body seemed to be used to having more appropriate places to rest.

"I don't remember hospital beds being this comfy," he remarked, turning his head to look at the Winner.

Quatre grinned, relieved to see that he was back to joking, even if he knew it was a way for the other boy to hide his fear and uneasiness. "Probably because we tended to avoid them. But, for your information, you're at Heritage Memorial, one of the best hospitals in the area. Heero was adamant that you have a sufficient amount of pillows and the young female nurses were only too happy to comply," the boy added with a wink.

Duo smiled briefly at the mental image this statement produced, but he was serious again when he asked, "Where am I? That name doesn't sound familiar." Last he remembered, he had been in Europe on the Earth, but he vaguely wondered where he and Heero would settle now that they were presumably married. They had both grown up on colonies and Duo knew that's where he felt comfortable, even if L2 had been a first-class disaster area. Would Heero want to stay in space or move to the Earth that they had both waited so long to see after their many exhaustive years of training?

Quatre bit his lip, clearly not wanting to give Duo too much information at once, in case it made his condition worse. After a moment, he decided that denying the stubborn boy information would probably not go too well either. "You're on Earth, in the North American region. After the war, you said you were tired of space and wanted some fresh air and land. Heero wanted to stay and live on the Earth that he had given nearly his last breath to save—"

Quatre cut himself off as Duo went stark white, realizing that in reminiscing about the end of the war, he had said too much. It was hard to remember that Duo didn't know how things had turned out or how all but he had thought that Heero had died when he destroyed the last hunk of Libra that had gone hurtling towards the beautiful Earth. The other pilots had watched in horror as they saw Wing Zero breaking apart with the intense heat of the atmosphere as it tried to get far enough beneath the falling space station to hit it with the crumbling beam cannon. Duo had simply held his breath, hearing Heero speak his resolute words over the static of the comm unit: "I will, I will…I _will_ survive!" He had feared for Heero, certainly, but, as he confided later, there had been no doubt in his mind that Heero would do just as he had said. Heero had never broken a promise or failed a mission, and Duo believed he never would. And he had been right.

"H-his last breath..?" Duo whispered, face reflecting the horror the three other pilots had felt while watching Heero's sure demise among the flames. His violet eyes were wide with fear, his already pale skin a sickly milk white. What had happened back then? Had something gone wrong? Where had _he_ been when Heero was supposedly on the verge of death?

Quatre hastened to reassure his friend, standing and placing a calming hand on his arm. "Everything's fine now, Duo. Don't worry about what happened in the past. Heero's alive and you're going to recover, so please just rest."

"But I need to know—" Duo started to protest. Surely Quatre didn't expect him to just lie there and not try to figure out what the Winner had almost told him?

"I _promise_ I'll tell you whatever you want to know as soon as you're better," Quatre cut him off. "Anything. But right now, you need to relax. It's been five days since you fell and we were beginning to worry that you wouldn't wake up. Now that you have, you're out of the dark, but you're still in critical condition. Don't make it worse, or Heero will never forgive you."

Duo sighed and sank back into the pillows again…pillows Heero had specially requested for him. He shook his head, feeling his limp bangs rustle over the gauze around his forehead. He knew that it was no good to press Quatre for more details—the blonde boy was almost as stubborn as he was. Besides, the Winner was right—there was no point in collecting information about the past now. And he was so tired again… "K, Q-man. You win this time. But when I get out of here, I'm gonna drill you so hard…" he yawned and closed his eyes.

Quatre giggled without thinking at the double entendre. "Better not let Heero hear you say that; he'll get jealous." Duo heard him, but merely smiled before drifting off to sleep again.

45 minutes later (according to the digital clock readout on his heart monitor), Duo awoke again to something cool and soothing touching his forehead. His head still ached dully, a mixture of pain from his concussion and the drugs that attempted to keep it at bay. He had never responded well to pain medication and the sick, drowsy feelings it gave him were nearly worse than the pain would be by itself—or so he was convinced.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a sight that was quickly becoming familiar: Heero, leaning over him. The dark-haired boy was sitting up in a chair by his bedside, mopping his brow with a damp cloth. Noticing that Duo was awake, he paused, and then withdrew his hand, taking with it the soothing coolness.

Duo sighed at its loss and blinked at the other boy. As much as it had weirded him out the first time he woke to find Heero by his side, sitting vigil like a faithful retriever, Duo also found that having the other boy close gave him a sense of relief. Heero was strong and solid and his presence made Duo feel at ease, knowing that nothing could hurt him so long as Heero was nearby. Hospitals made him nervous on principle, as well as his being incapacitated, but with his partner around, he didn't need to worry.

Heero looked at him, an indefinable emotion in his hard blue eyes. He spoke, voice soft and anguished. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Duo," he said, not breaking his gaze. "I shouldn't have gotten upset and I _never_ should have left you." He sighed, looking deep into his eyes, searching for a response. "Even if you can't remember anything, do you understand that I just couldn't bear to hear those words from you?"

Duo glanced down, a little ashamed of himself. He knew what he said had been harsh, and—to Heero as he was now—completely out of context. If they had been together for two years in a time of peace, and put their bad memories of the war (and the sacrifices they might have had to make) behind them, it was no wonder that Heero had gotten upset, hearing those words from him after all they had been though. Looking at it from that perspective, Duo didn't blame him for yelling.

"I get it, Heero. I'm sorry too. I was just…confused. I don't blame you for leaving when I was shouting at you like that."

Heero shook his head. "I still should have known better. It_ won't_ happen again."

Duo smiled at that—he believed him. The adamant in his partner's voice was absolute.

Sensing that the ice had been broken between them, Heero reached up again to bathe Duo's forehead with the cool, damp towel. Duo's eyes fluttered shut at the amazing feeling, letting it relieve his insistent headache. Heero frowned at the creases in his lover's forehead, which were clear signs of pain.

"Do you want me to call a nurse to up your drip?" he asked pointedly, telling Duo he wouldn't fool him if he tried to act brave and ignore the pain when there was an easy way to take care of it

"You know I don't," Duo replied shortly, eyes still closed, soaking in the towel's coolness. He heard Heero sigh, probably in annoyance, but since he remained silent after that, Duo assumed he had won that round.

"Don't go to sleep," the other boy warned after a moment's quiet, sensing that Duo was drifting off again. "The doctor wants to check on you and they should be bringing the evening meal around any minute."

"Mmm, but that feels good," Duo complained, "And I'm tired." Behind his eyes, he saw the shadow of Heero moving in to lean ominously over him, and he quickly opened his eyes again. Heero sat back with a satisfied grin, still dabbing his forehead.

Duo continued to stare at him as Heero switched the cloth to the other side and moved it to his temple and gradually down to stroke his hot cheek. Duo's heart monitor slowly began to beep increasingly faster, but they both ignored it as Heero ran the cloth lightly across his face, over his chin and down his neck. The cloth was abandoned over his throat and Heero's warm hand alone delved into the dip of his gaping hospital gown to trace his collarbone again. A ringing began to grow in Duo's ears and the monitor beeped ever more loudly as his breathing picked up and his heart pounded in his chest. He suddenly found it difficult to draw in air and his skin tingled where Heero was touching him so softly but with a frightening familiarity…

Duo jumped in surprise when his door abruptly clicked open and a tall male doctor walked in, addressing him loudly. "So, Duo, how are you feeling this evening…?" he said as he strode up to the bed, nose buried in his chart as he looked over it.

Heero pulled away with calmness but celerity and moved imperceptibly to stop Duo's good hand from again going for his non-existent gun. "I believe Duo is still experiencing some pain in his head," Heero said promptly, in answer to the man's inquiry.

"Not as much as the pain in my _ass_…" Duo muttered quietly, knowing that Heero could hear him, as close as he still was. He shifted rebelliously away from him, but there wasn't very far to go and his left hip stung in pain as he bumped it.

"I see," said the doctor, making a note on his chart. "Would you like me to increase his morphine dose? We've tried to limit it, but a little more wouldn't hurt if he needs it."

"I don't," Duo declared defiantly, tired of having the two of them talk as though he wasn't capable of answering for himself. "I'm feeling fine. In fact, I'd rather not have any medication at all."

The doctor gave him a kindly look, like he thought Duo obviously didn't know what he was talking about. "I'm not so sure that would be a good idea right now. You don't know how much pain you're really in." Duo continued to glare at him, so he changed the subject. "So, Mr. Winner tells me that your memory seems to have reverted back to one of your experiences during the war. Is that all you can remember?"

Duo sighed and told him everything he had Heero and Quatre, leaving out any unnecessary details about what _part_ of the war he remembered. The doctor took quick, messy notes on his clipboard as he spoke and read over them for a few minutes after Duo had finished speaking.

"Well, from what you say, it seems that you have lost all memories of the last two years." Duo resisted the strong urge to smack his forehead with his hand and utter a loud 'DUH'. Heero saw his shoulder muscles twitch with the arrested action and grinned, guessing what Duo was thinking about the doctor, who went on without having noticed Duo's reaction.

"Now, this occurrence is actually rather common in patients that have suffered a severe concussion. Most of them begin to get their memories back after a while, when the swelling goes down and they are more comfortable and rested. As I'm sure you've been told, you're out of the woods as far as your injuries are concerned, so right now I would just concentrate on getting sufficient amounts of rest and nourishment." With that bit of sage advice, the doctor quickly jotted down the readings from Duo's various monitors and left the room with a cheery wave.

Duo groaned, rolling his eyes. "Man, what a load of crap. I don't think he had any idea about this memory stuff at all. Whatta ditz."

Heero, who secretly shared Duo's opinion of the man, sat up again to remove the cloth that had been left lying over Duo's throat during his interview. "You can't really blame him, though. I don't think the results of the research concerning patients with loss of memory due to concussions have been conclusive. It seems the some people get their memories back right away, some after a while, and…" He trailed off, and Duo voiced what he was thinking.

"And some never get them back. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for door Number One or Two," he said, trying to keep things light. Heero's reply was cut off by an orderly who came in to deliver Duo's dinner on a plastic tray. Someone (probably Quatre) had seen to it that there was double of everything, enough so that Heero had something to eat as well, since he was obviously not willing to leave Duo alone again, even long enough to make a run to the cafeteria.

"Well," said Duo cheerfully as Heero helped to pull the tray table over to rest above his lap, "Let's see what's on the menu for tonight. I hope hospital food isn't as bad as I remember it being." He hadn't noticed how hungry he'd been, what with the pain and the drowsiness, but as soon as he saw the food, Duo realized he was famished. He supposed that's what he got for not eating anything solid in 5 days.

"It looks edible," Heero commented lightly, but as Duo remembered, the boy had a stomach made of rock, so he couldn't go by Heero's judgment alone. He was about to move the tray close to the edge so that Heero could reach it from where he sat on the chair by his bed, but before he could, Heero stood and moved closer. When Duo stiffened in surprise, Heero stopped and looked down at him.

"May I sit on the bed with you?" he asked softly after a moment. Duo blinked, thinking quickly. Normally, he wouldn't have minded having Heero close—it made sense, after all, if they were going to share the tray, and how many times had they had to be close, even sleep in the same space during the war?—but now that he was beginning to understand how close they were in the present (future?), he couldn't help but feel apprehensive about Heero's insistent proximity. He had never initiated such a thing during the war, and this new version of Heero made Duo uneasy. Plus, what with his strange touching earlier and now the prospect of the two of them on the bed together, Duo was trying to come to terms with just what _else_ they might have shared while being married. What kind of intimacies had been exchanged in the dark…on their wedding night…?

Duo gulped and shut down that line of thought completely, not willing yet to deal with it. He nodded at Heero's request and moved over, resolutely trying not to let Heero know how awkward he felt about it.

Heero carefully eased himself onto the high bed, making sure not to actually touch Duo. He didn't want to make his lover uncomfortable, but he also didn't want to encourage his supposed fear of proximity. Heero could only imagine how Duo was feeling now, how strange it must be to go from being friends with someone to being instantly married to them, where by now Duo had to have guessed that at some point they had consummated their relationship. He was loath to upset Duo, but after nearly two years of near constant intimacy, it was hard to remember _not_ to be so familiar—and he didn't _want_ to stop.

Duo had changed him since the war, taught him how to express his feelings and show his love. He had learned—the work of two long, hard, wonderful years—and now he didn't want to have to revert back to the emotionless way he had acted during the war. He didn't even want to think of it, but he couldn't help wondering what would happen if Duo didn't regain his memory. Would they have to start all over? Or would Duo feel trapped by his strange new life and want out? Heero knew he wouldn't stop him if that was the case, for he couldn't deny Duo anything.

But he also wouldn't deny his own feelings. Duo had taught him that his feelings mattered to him and always tried to consider them when they argued or had to decide something together. He didn't think Duo as he was now would want him to put aside those feelings either. With a sudden revelation, Heero smiled a little to himself with a new determination. If Duo didn't regain his memories, then Heero would just have to take his place; this time it would he _him _teaching _Duo_ to love.

"Well, let's dig in," Duo said, his loud voice breaking through Heero's thoughts. The former Wing pilot smiled over at his lover and watched as he predictably went right for the dish of cubed green Jell-O topped with whipped cream and began to eat it daintily with his fingers. He, himself, pulled the plate of double chicken-fried steak and gravy-drowned mashed potatoes closer. Without consulting Duo, he peppered his own meal and added salt to both before replacing the cardboard shakers in the corner of the tray.

They ate in silence, Heero surreptitiously consuming all the peas (which Duo loathed) and leaving both servings of green beans for his lover, who probably needed them. Underneath the hospital gown, Duo had lost weight—weight he couldn't really afford to loose. He had always been slight, but 6 days with only an IV was beginning to tell on him (Heero had insisted on the doctors waiting to put in the feeding tube, knowing that if Duo did wake, he would be extremely upset about it and that was one battle better left unfought). Heero was almost glad that Duo was incapacitated, because he knew that the boy would soon be demanding to be let loose so he could hit the gym and keep up his exercises to stay in shape—something his injuries wouldn't allow for at least another few weeks.

When they were finished, Heero pushed the tray table away and watched as Duo reclined back into the mountain of pillows he had accumulated. With a look from Duo, Heero lay back with him, long legs still hanging off the side of the bed. Duo smiled over at him, lazy and sated with a stomach full of Jell-O and potatoes. After a moment, he blinked and sat up a little, reaching over Heero's head. Unable to see what he was doing, Heero held still and waited until Duo pulled his arm back. In his hand was a single flower, plucked from a blue glass vase Heero had left on his bedside table. Duo sniffed it, running the soft yellow petals over the tip of his nose and his lips.

"Daffodils," he said reverently. "Did you bring them?" he asked with a glance at Heero.

The other boy nodded, enjoying having Duo so close. They shared a pillow, and it was comfortable, clearly not outside of Duo's tolerance of intimacy—although he hadn't seemed to mind Heero's wandering hand earlier…

"They're from your garden. They bloomed the day after you fell, after the rain. I'm sorry you didn't get to see them—you were so excited when the bulbs came up in March…"

One of the first things that Duo had done when they moved into their new home had been to plant a long, square garden that ran around the outside of the house. He had filled it with every daffodil bulb he could find, cleaning three whole lawn stores out of his favourite flower.

To Duo, daffodils held a certain sentimental as well as aesthetic value. At a safehouse once in the woods, Duo had shown Heero his love of daffodils, saying that the flower represented to him the new beginnings they could look forward to after the war, just as they always heralded a new spring each year. They were always the first flowers to bloom and Duo wanted some of his own, surrounding and protecting their new post-war home.

After all that work, Heero felt sad that his lover hadn't been there to watch his flowers finally bloom, so he had had Quatre cut the best ones he could find, and bring them in to watch over Duo. Surprisingly, five days later, they still looked as fresh as when they had first been cut.


	3. Picking Up the Pieces

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the awesome reviews and favs! I am having so much fun writing this story, so I'm glad you're all having fun reading it!

A/N: This chapter gets a little closer to the eventual M rating. A bit of medical stuff that may be a bit squicky for some of you, and some of Duo's outraged swearing^^

**Chapter 3: Picking Up the Pieces**

Heero watched Duo as he slept, worn out from mental trauma (and from eating two helpings of green Jell-O in the time it took normal humans to eat one). He had always found it endearing how Duo ate like every meal might be his last, savoring each item as if he were afraid that he might never taste it again so he had to commit the taste to memory now. Heero knew it was a lasting facet of his life as a street orphan—the children on L2 had lived like a pack of wild dogs, devouring whatever food they happened to find quickly in case someone larger came around and tried to take it from them. They had scrapped over bits of food like animals and Duo remembered breaking another boy's finger in a fight over a rotten apple he had gone to great lengths to steal from a street vendor. Even now, though Duo had ample time to eat his meals, he still did so with a surprising celerity.

The former Wing pilot reached up to brush part of his lover's long bangs away from his forehead, wondering if he was dreaming. When Duo slept now, did he have dreams of the past as though it were his present, or did he perhaps dream of his recent life even if he couldn't remember it upon waking? Heero wished that there were some way he could infiltrate Duo's dreams, as they had infiltrated so many OZ bases, and rewire things so that he could bring back his memory, or at least make it so he dreamt of things that had happened since that fateful nearly-failed mission.

Duo moved a little in his sleep as he felt Heero's fingers touch his skin, his eyebrows twitching cutely. He rolled his head over to the side, closer to Heero, and murmured very distinctly, "I _told_ you not to get the Whirlpool. I _wanted_ the Maytag…"

Heero froze, hand still suspended over his lover's head. "What, Duo?" he asked softly, heart in his mouth. Two days before Duo had fallen off the roof, they had fought companionably over which new refrigerator to buy, to replace the old one that had come with the house and had finally breathed its last lukewarm breath on the first day of their dual vacation from work. Heero had wanted the Whirlpool because it was more energy-efficient, but Duo had argued for the Maytag, because it had the attached water and ice dispenser, which he had liked. If Duo remembered that now, then maybe he had gotten his memories back after all, or at least retained them within his subconscious.

"Fuck saving the planet…I want fresh ice," Duo told him clearly, wrinkling his nose at the thought of the inferior fridge his partner wanted to buy. Heero leaned over the bed, listening carefully. Duo had developed a tendency to talk in his sleep over the two years that they had lived together; he had never done so on missions, but after the first few nights of sleeping peacefully beside Heero after the war, he had started carrying on one-sided conversations with him while asleep.

If Heero woke, he sometimes answered the other boy or asked questions to amuse himself, but Duo rarely woke up and hardly ever remembered what he had said in the mornings—leading to a few very embarrassing stories from Heero over the breakfast table. Heero had always taken the sleep-talking as a sign of Duo's comfort with him—that he trusted Heero enough as he slept beside him to be able to revert back to a childhood tick that could have gotten him killed as a Gundam pilot. Even when they went on the occasional Preventers missions together, Duo never spoke until they were at home again in their own bed.

Now though, Heero's heart was racing at the thought that Duo was recalling something so recent. He was sorely tempted to wake the boy and find out if he truly remembered anything or was just dreaming, but he knew better than to bother him when he was so deeply asleep, especially when he very much needed all the rest he could get. He tried one last time, knowing that Duo was pretty reliable about talking back if asked a direct question.

"Duo, do you remember who I am?" he whispered, speaking above Duo's exposed ear.

The other boy smiled in his sleep. "You're the man who won't let me get my fridge…but I still love you, so shut up and let's go get _something_ before my chopped Yuy goes bad…"

Heero smiled at the boy's willful mispronunciation of the food's name—he'd always called it that whenever he insisted on making it for dinner as a joke about his last name. Heero was also in charge of the family budget and could become something of a tyrant when his lover tried to buy something too extravagant, so Duo's cursing at him now was nothing out of the ordinary. They weren't pressed for money by any means, but Heero preferred living simply and planning for all possible contingencies. And he simply liked to deny his lover things sometimes, just to annoy Duo who always ranted at first and forgave him later, usually in mutually entertaining ways.

Well, he decided, sitting back in his chair by Duo's bedside, even if Duo didn't remember anything in the morning, at least Heero could be assured that he hadn't lost his memories completely. If they were there, he would find them.

Duo woke again when the same woman brought him and Heero breakfast the next morning. "Mmm, French toast…" he said happily around a yawn. Heero, who was already up, nodded in thanks to the woman who set the meal on Duo's tray table and scurried back out the door. Duo stretched as far as his IV would allow (which wasn't far) and struggled to sit up. Heero automatically jumped up to help him, rearranging the mountain of pillows comfortably.

Duo yawned again, then smacked his mouth distastefully. "Ick, morning breath. I feel so messy. I don't suppose you'll let me get up to take a shower or anything? And…speaking of which, why don't I need to go to the bathroom yet…?" the boy wondered out loud, his mind walking him through his usual morning routine on auto-pilot and his body feeling strange because he wasn't able to physically carry it out.

Heero sat beside Duo again, this time not asking for permission. He wanted to inquire about Duo's dreams, but he answered his lover's questions first as he again pulled the tray table closer and began to stick straws in the foil tops of the plastic juice containers— apple for Duo and orange for him. "I brought your toothpaste and brush to the hospital, so you can clean your teeth right here. No, I'm not going to let you up until the doctor says it's ok, and even then it's debatable. I can give you a sponge bath if you need one. And as for going to the bathroom, you're wearing a catheter. I'm surprised you had to ask." He reported everything calmly, but he was already bracing himself for Duo's blowup. It came without delay.

"A catheter?! How could you let them do that, you bastard? You know how I hate those things! Of course I didn't _notice_—I've been a little too busy worrying about that fucking pain medication and my head and oh, my _loss of memories_ to spare thoughts for other parts of my body!" he fumed, gathering steam as he went on.

The doctor had come in early before his shift ended and reduced Duo's drip—clearly without him noticing—, so Duo was much more able to argue today than he had been yesterday. Heero thought he would probably be happy to discover this fact when he stopped to think. He still went on though, his cheeks reddening.

"Ugh, I don't even want to _think_ about other people touching me like that—at least tell me you didn't watch…" Heero took a sip of juice, deciding silence was best until Duo finished his rant. He started surreptitiously cutting up Duo's toast for him into manageable bites and opened the little packet of syrup.

"And _don't_ think you're in charge of my recovery. As soon as the doctor says I'm free, I'm out of here and you can just deal with it. I'm not staying in here any longer than I have too—I'd leave now if I wasn't poked full of fucking needles and tubes." Duo paused to take a breath and only just then seemed to notice that his French toast had magically split up into perfectly edible squares. Automatically, he poured the opened syrup over them and took a quick bite before continuing (Heero hid his satisfied smile behind the sausage link he was nibbling).

"And, if you try to give me a sponge bath, I'll break your fucking _arm_, Yuy. Don't think I won't, just because we're friends. No one gets _that _close." He took another bite to indicate that he was finished lecturing and followed it with a sip of the miraculously opened juice.

"Anything you say, Duo," Heero replied solemnly, not wanting to argue with Duo this early in the morning. He was just happy to see the other boy so lively again after so long watching him lying almost lifeless on the hospital bed. He was clearly feeling better and healing well, even if he didn't notice it yet himself. It really wouldn't be long until the doctor signed his release and as much as Heero also wanted to get him out of the hospital and into his own care, he also knew that Duo would be a lot harder to control if he wasn't hooked up to multiple IVs and monitors, where just the added drip of a sedative would knock him out again. Heero knew from experience that Duo was a danger to himself while healing, always wanting to push himself to become active again before his body was ready, and inevitably making things worse rather than better.

"That's more like it," Duo approved, liking Heero's easy acquiescence. He didn't remember Heero always being this easy to get along with, but he wasn't about to complain about it at the moment. Right now he was too busy downing bites of sausage and toast to care.

After breakfast, Heero, as promised, brought Duo his toothbrush and paste along with a cup of rinse water and another to spit it in when he was done. Duo felt much better with clean teeth and with his stomach full again, his mood improved greatly. He still felt dirty after who-knew-how-many days without a shower and whenever he moved he could now feel the catheter firmly embedded deep within his dick, which made him wince, but he could tell he was getting better and that alone was enough to make him cheerful.

Heero had pulled back the thick curtains over his bedside window to reveal a sunny spring day and a view of the cityscape from their 10th floor room in the intensive care ward. Duo was technically supposed to be moved to a lesser priority ward for recovering patients, but as the ICU wasn't particularly full, the doctor said to just leave him where he was, rather than risking injury in moving him around just yet. Duo was perfectly happy with that plan, as it secured him his window and superior view.

Quatre came in to visit again after breakfast and Heero took the opportunity to use Duo's bathroom shower to freshen up. Duo shot him a dirty look as he retreated into the tiny room with his bag of toiletries—compliments of Quatre, who had stopped by their house for them—but the Winner easily distracted him with polite conversation.

As he had promised, Quatre filled Duo in on the larger things he had forgotten in the last few years. He started, of course, with the end of the war and the disarmament and went up through the establishment of the Preventers. He told Duo where the other pilots were now and what their other friends were up to. Wufei, Sally, and Lady Une were part of the Preventers, Relena had taken her late foster father's position as a vice foreign minister, and Noin and Zechs were currently on Mars working on her terraforming project. Hilde had married a former member of the Treize faction and had joined a charity organization that helped rebuild the colonies after the war—especially L2, which had been hit the hardest. Trowa was an executive at Winner Enterprises, specializing in arts and entertainment among the colonies.

The Winner skirted around the issues that were more personal to Duo himself, knowing that it was Heero's job to fill him in on those types of things. He wouldn't tell Duo where he worked or lived or what he had been doing in the past two years, but only mentioned vague details that didn't help much. It annoyed Duo, but he was still too happy about his eminent recovery to get too worked up about it yet.

They were deep in conversation about Hilde's work with the new home for orphaned children on L2 when Heero emerged from the bathroom amid a cloud of steam. Duo's violet eyes were drawn to the other boy and they widened when he saw that Heero was only wearing a small, hospital-issue towel tied snugly around his slim waist. He trailed off in whatever he was saying to the Winner, watching Heero instead.

The other boy casually walked by the bed on his way to the overnight bag Quatre had brought him and bent to rummage through it for some clean clothes to change into. Quatre caught Duo staring at Heero's behind and hid a smile behind his hand. Duo may not remember the feelings he had for Heero now or even during the latter part of the war, but the evidence of his attraction was plain on his blushing face.

Duo tried to cover up his obvious lapse in conversation. He crossed his arms as best he could with the IV lines still in and said, blunt as ever, "Geeze, Heero, put some clothes on, will you? This isn't a swimsuit competition."

Heero looked up, a variety of garments in his hands. "I know better than to compete with you, Duo," he stated clearly as he made his way back towards the bathroom. He was feeling rebellious with the pent-up sexual frustration of being denied for over a week, and he couldn't help snapping back breezily with, "Nothing I put on could ever compare to that little black Speedo you wore for me." He shut the door quickly before he could see Duo's reaction, but he could hear it though the thin door.

"What?!" Duo cried in outrage as Quatre instantly tried to shush him. "There is no way I would EVER be caught DEAD wearing a Speedo! That's just so…so…" he trailed off again, flustered, both by the fact that he apparently had gotten a lot more cavalier in his dress and that Heero was well-acquainted with his personal wardrobe.

"Gay?" Quatre supplied, giggling. "I know I probably shouldn't share this, but I've seen you in it too—when you and Heero came with the rest of us pilots on a vacation last year to the beach resort on the west coast…"

"Aagghhh…" Duo groaned, fading back into the pillows and covering his eyes dramatically with his arm. "Go ahead and shoot me now. Put me out of my misery," he begged.

"Now," the Winner said gently, "Don't let Heero hear you say that. As you know, he's been very touchy about that sort of thing lately."

Duo's outrage immediately dissipated as he remembered Heero's last reaction to the mention of his death. "I know, Quat," he said more quietly.

Without thinking, he toyed with the marriage band around his left ring finger—a habit he had built over the years. Noticing a slight roughness on the underside, he lifted his arm from over his face and curiously removed the ring to examine it more closely. Up until now, he'd been trying to ignore its presence, but he felt a sudden urgency to know more about it if he could, hoping maybe the small metal object could provide some answers.

He held it up to the light, going nearly cross-eyed as he tried to decipher the delicate inscription carved around the inside. It read: Heero & Duo ©June 21, A.C. 196.

"The first day of summer," Duo said softly, staring at the date and the pair of names before it.

"You wanted it to be outside," Quatre told him. "So you could—"

"_See the Earth_," Duo finished with him, not taking his eyes off of the tiny gold band.

Quatre gasped, his aqua eyes going wide. "Do you remember it, Duo?" he asked, suddenly excited.

Duo shook his head, breaking his contact with the ring, and said glumly, "No. It just seems like something I would say if we really won the war like that. I would want to be outside, like having all of the world witnessing it," he added, almost too low for Quatre to hear, "I wish I _could_ remember it…"

Heero came back out of the bathroom then and Duo quickly jammed the ring back onto his finger and hid his hand impulsively under the sheets. His husband, looking happy in his fresh clothes as he carried the old ones over to drop beside his bag, didn't notice. "Thanks again," he told Quatre, grateful that the other boy had offered to stop by their house for him. Like Duo, he hadn't showered in a week and was fairly certain that his state of uncleanness wouldn't help matters in the hospital.

"It's no problem, Heero," the Winner assured him warmly. "If you two need _anything_ else, please just ask me. I should probably be going now, but call me if you need something and me or Trowa will get it to you. I'll try to stop by again tomorrow."

"How about a couple of syringes and a fake disguise so I can sneak out?" Duo asked plaintively.

"There will be _no_ sneaking," Heero informed him firmly. Duo stuck his tongue out at the boy from behind his back and Quatre smiled.

"Sorry, Duo, but Heero's right. The only way you leave is with one of us and a clean bill of health."

"But that could take another week!" the boy protested.

"Good!" Quatre and Heero said in unison. Duo could clearly see he wasn't going to win any arguments against the both of them. He huffed in annoyance but held back any additional comments, trying to convince himself that his friends were just looking out for his well-being. Quatre said good-bye and exited the room, leaving Heero and Duo alone again.

As though Quatre's departure had suddenly left Duo feeling tried, the boy yawned and snuggled back into his pillow mountain. "Mmm, looks like it's naptime," he said with his mouth wide open. Heero smiled and went to reclaim his bedside chair. Duo watched as he opened a case and pulled out the ubiquitous laptop that he remembered so well from their various missions.

"In two years, haven't I cured you of carrying that thing around?" he asked playfully as he wriggled from side to side, trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep in.  
Heero laughed as he booted it up. "Not yet. Although you'll be happy to learn that I don't usually carry it around—I'm just a little behind on some reports, so I'll type them while you sleep."

"Reports of what?" Duo weaseled, still not aware of what exactly their jobs were.

"Later," Heero said and Duo wanted to protest, but his eyelids drooped and a minute later, he was asleep.

Heero woke him again so they could share a lunch of macaroni and cheese and they watched a Pay-Per-View movie on Heero's laptop afterwards. The doctor visited again before dinner to check Duo's progress but left without giving any indication of his possible date of freedom. After dinner, Heero continued to fill out his mysterious reports and Duo contented himself with doing a crossword in the paper—Heero wouldn't let him read the rest of it.

When he began to yawn again, Heero looked up from his typing. "You should get some sleep, Duo," he said.

Duo looked at him, still sitting upright in his chair, exhibiting perfect posture. "What about you? You have to sleep sometime too, Mr. Perfect Soldier."

Heero shrugged. "I'll sleep here when I'm finished. I've slept here every night."

Duo was momentarily distracted by that announcement. "You mean in that chair? But don't they kick you out after visiting hours?" he wondered.

Heero grinned. "Not after the first time they tried," he said proudly.

Duo paled. "Tell me you didn't pull a gun on some poor orderly!"

"No guns, but I was pretty frantic. Once Quatre informed the staff of what our previous 'jobs' were, however, and how 'unstable' we could become if antagonized, they were more than happy to let me stay with you."

Duo groaned, embarrassed but also a little amused as he tried to picture the scene. "I see. Well, you can't keep sleeping in that chair—you'll break your back. You can at least go find a couch in the waiting room."

"Out of the question. I'm not leaving this room until we leave it together."

Duo heaved a sigh, knowing there was no point in trying to convince Heero otherwise tonight. "Fine…" he grumbled and started scooting over inch-by-inch, as far as his drips would allow.

Thinking that Duo was making a sorry bid for escape, Heero stood quickly. "What are you doing now?" he demanded—he had thought Duo was ready for bed!

"I'm making room for you, baka," Duo said irritably, as though it should be perfectly obvious. "If you won't leave, then you're going to have to sleep in the bed with me. I'm _not_ going to be responsible for you getting shit for sleep in that damn chair."

Heero blinked, surprised by Duo's adamant offer. He knew that Duo had reverted back to a time before they had been used to sharing intimacies and he had resigned himself to that, but now here Duo was demanding they sleep in the same bed. It seemed that if Duo initiated the contact, he didn't seem to be upset over it, whereas any extraneous touching on Heero's part startled him.

Perhaps, thought Heero, he just saw this as a time like any other mission where they had been forced to sleep together for warmth or lack of space. He had never seemed uncomfortable then, when necessity called for their proximity, and had, of course, touched him at other times in purely friendly ways, like an arm around his shoulders. Heero wished he knew what was going on in his lover's head, but he was so desperate for anything Duo was willing to give him, that he couldn't protest now.

"If you insist…" he said, leaning back over to shut down his laptop.

"Just get in, Yuy. I'm not going to tell you again," Duo said sleepily. Heero couldn't help but smile as he quickly closed the curtains around the room and removed his shoes. He already wore comfortable sweat pants and a t-shirt, so he didn't bother changing for bed. After he shut off the light, leaving the small bulb glowing in the outlet by the floor, he approached the bed. As there were wires and tubes on both sides of Duo, he deftly wriggled under the ones on his right and lay beside his lover, pulling the sheets up over the both of them.

Duo, unable to turn on either side comfortably, moved his arm to lie over his belly so Heero could get closer and away from the edge of the small bed. Heero carefully slid his arm under Duo's neck and the other boy instinctively rolled into him, resting his head on Heero's shoulder, too sleepy to protest the more-than-friendly gesture. Heero smiled to himself and waited until he was sure Duo was asleep before drifting off himself to the sounds of the drips and beeps of the various pieces of equipment in their room.


	4. Scattered in the Wind

Hey there everyone! Thank as always for following this story. I'd say we're about a fourth of the way through, so keep reading!

A/N: First of all, I must confess that I know absolutely nothing about hospitals or memory loss, so please forgive any misinformation. It's all for fun and I figure we're all more concerned about the boys than the day-to-day hospital stuff anyways, right? On that note, this chapter definitely earns its M rating, so beware!^^

**Chapter 4: Scattered in the Wind **

Duo woke again in the early morning, brought from his deep sleep by a coldness attacking his left side. He winced immediately as he also felt just how dirty he was after another night without the benefit of a shower. His skin felt clammy, his hair greasy, and his face filthy. At first he had spurned Heero's offer of a sponge bath, and at the time would have rather died than have his partner do that to him in this situation, but now he was seriously considering taking Heero up on it. No matter how embarrassing it would be, _anything_ would be better than feeling so disgusting, especially this early in the morning where all he wanted was to get a few more cozy hours of sleep.

The boy sighed and tried to shift into a more comfortable position, away from the cold that had woken him. He came up short, though, and realized that his right arm was trapped under something, and was asleep. He tried to extricate it with little luck. His other arm was freezing and he could now feel that it was because it was rudely exposed to the frigid air around him.

Turning his head to see what the deal was, he was momentarily shocked to find Heero lying next to him, asleep, breathing so softly it was almost imperceptible. Duo then remembered that he had insisted last night that Heero share his bed rather than sleep again in the hospital chair, but it was still startling waking up next to him.

Even more surprising was the fact that once he got over the initial shock, Duo found that he wasn't at all upset by the other boy's proximity. Sure, they had slept close before when the situation called for it, but knowing now that they had probably done this every night should have made things different…only it didn't at the moment. Duo actually realized that he liked to feel Heero close to him, their sides touching and sharing warmth under the thin hospital-issue sheet. Like the day he had woken up from his concussion-induced coma, he felt safe with Heero nearby and it eased his general fear of hospitals and of being helpless and weak.

As much as he would have liked to just lie there and puzzle out his confused feelings for the boy next to him, Duo had more important things to do. He understood now that it was Heero that had trapped his arm, lying on it in what seemed like oblivious comfort. Duo also noticed that the reason his other side was cold was because the sheet had fallen all over Heero's side of the bed, tugged to the floor by the irritating force of gravity. Loath to wake Heero when he looked so peaceful, Duo tried to carefully slide his arm out from under him, but the moment he moved, Heero's dark blue eyes flew open and he looked over at him.

"You're awake," he said, instantly knowing that it was too early for his lover to be up yet. "Is something wrong?"

Duo couldn't help but smile at his concern. "Just the fact that I can't feel my right arm and my left one is a block of ice. And I smell like a junkyard. Other than that, I'm good." Heero blinked at him, trying to comprehend Duo's cryptic remark.

"You're lying on my arm and half the sheet is on the floor," Duo pointed out bluntly, still grinning a little. Heero looked cute when he had just woken up, his brown hair more ruffled than ever, eyes warm with sleep.

"Oh, gomen," Heero said, sitting up so Dup could have his arm back. His movement away from the other boy caused him to cry out though, as the cold air invaded the side that Heero's body had been protecting. Duo reached up with his numb hand and tried to pull Heero back down beside him.

"Come back. _You_ be my blanket. At least I can have one warm side." Heero frowned though, only just now feeling how cold it really was away from Duo's warmth.

"Let me turn the thermostat down first. They must have turned the air up when it got warm out yesterday," Heero replied. He gently removed Duo's fingers from his arm and got up, padding over to the little box on the far wall. He turned the dial up a little and was on his way back when he spotted the duffle bag Quatre had brought him the day before. Remembering something he'd seen in there yesterday when looking for fresh clothes after his shower, he went over to it and rummaged around, coming back up with a battered old brown blanket.

"What's that?" Duo asked as Heero returned to him and got up into the bed. Heero spread the blanket out over their knees, revealing a pattern of yellow, orange, and sepia in the middle that formed a tiger's head.

"It's your favourite blanket. I saw yesterday that Quatre brought it from the house—he must have thought it might help you remember."

Duo reached out to trace of the tiger's brown stripes, keeping his eyes down. "Nope, sorry. It's nice though…soft," he added, trying to make up for his lack of recall.

Heero put his hand over Duo's comfortingly. "Don't feel bad. We're not trying to force you to remember. Quatre said, though, that the doctor thought that we should show you familiar things and maybe something would jog your memory. I don't expect it to work for just anything, though. It's just a hunch."

Duo laughed disparagingly, unconsciously turning his hand up to twine his fingers with Heero's. "The _doctor_, who thought the blue on the map was _land_?" he asked, quoting an old Earth TV show. It was Heero's turn to look confused, but he got the general idea of Duo's statement.

"Well, it's worth a try, anyways. But don't worry about it now. Try to get some more sleep." He lay back down and waited until Duo had done the same before he pulled the blanket up over them. Duo didn't notice, but Heero smiled to see that their hands were still linked together between them.

"By the way," said Duo, a yawn in his voice, "I might take you up on the sponge bath after all. I feel disgusting."

Heero chuckled and turned to tuck the other boy's head under his chin. "Anything, Duo…_koi_…"

Duo was up before Heero again later in the morning, this time because he could smell the sweet pancake syrup and melted butter wafting down the hall and under his room door. His stomach growled in greeting at the wonderful aroma and he struggled to sit up in anticipation of his breakfast. His stirring again roused Heero, who sat up next to him, looking wide awake in an instant.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. He lifted a hand automatically to Duo's face, but he hesitated before touching him, remembering that Duo wasn't used to it anymore. Duo stilled and sucked in a breath rather than flinching away, allowing Heero to complete his motion and touch his cheek gently. Heero, emboldened by Duo's acceptance, slid his fingers up into the other boy's chestnut hair, thumb caressing his cheekbone for a moment before letting his hand drop. Duo stared at him dazedly, forgetting to let out his breath until his lungs painfully reminded him.

"Uh…what was the question?" he asked, distracted.

Heero smiled. "I asked how you were feeling."

"Oh." Duo thought about that for a minute, taking account of his injuries and mentally checking his body for unusual aches or pains. His head felt a million times better and only hurt a little when he moved it. The bruises he had felt before on his arms and legs weren't as tender and the large one on his hip was no longer a stabbing pain whenever he breathed. He still felt a little woozy—which he attributed to the pain medication—, but other than that he was almost fully recovered as far as he was concerned. "Great!" he said, finally answering Heero's question. "_Much_ better than yesterday. I think I'm just about ready to—"

"Have some breakfast," Heero interjected sternly, not even giving Duo the chance to mention leaving. Duo tried to protest, but at that moment the orderly walked in again with their breakfast tray. Duo's nose hadn't lied: there was a plate stacked high with pancakes, liberal containers of syrup, fresh cut fruit, and an assortment of juices and a thermos of hot water for along with little packets of flavored tea and sugar. He eyed it all greedily as the woman set the tray on the table and wheeled it over before exiting again. They ate breakfast silently, Duo devouring his share of pancakes with a single-minded tenacity and Heero calmly sipping his tea and letting Duo have what he wanted, taking occasional bites of the honeydew melon, which he knew his lover hated.

After their leftovers had been cleared away when the nurse returned, Heero decided to broach the subject of giving Duo a bath. He remembered the boy saying something about it earlier that morning, but he wanted to be sure Duo had been serious and not just being his usual frivolous self. Of course, Heero was hoping his answer was 'yes', because it would give him a chance to look over Duo's injuries without having to hold the other boy down and force him to submit. Heero trusted the doctors, really, but he wanted to see for himself how well Duo was progressing towards wellness.

Also, if he was being honest with himself, he also just wanted to see Duo naked. He missed his lover greatly and wanted to at least be able to look at him and touch him closely. They had been so happy to finally have a few weeks to actually be together without work and tiredness taking up their time alone and both had been planning to spend much of their vacation in bed, making up for lost time. Now that things were different, Heero knew he would have to give up on that scenario, but giving Duo a sponge bath was the perfect excuse to at least gain a little of it back.

He waited until Duo was relaxed again, lounging back against his pillows and patting his full stomach contentedly. He then turned and looked down at his lover. "Duo? Would you still like me to give you a bath? You're not able to shower yet, but at least you can be clean. Quatre brought your shampoo from home, so I could wash your hair too, if you want..."

To his surprise, Duo stretched and looked up at him gratefully. "Yeah, that would be amazing. I can't tell you how gross I feel right now."

Heero frowned, a little puzzled at how much Duo's attitude towards him had changed. The Wing pilot seemed to remember that yesterday, when he had offered the same thing, Duo had told him he'd break his arm before he let Heero give him a sponge bath. Perhaps he had just still been mad about the catheter?

Duo noticed his partner's confusion and what he had said the day before came back to him sharply, making him wince. "Uh, yeah, sorry about the threat. I was just upset. I would be really grateful if you'd give me a bath." He blushed a little. "That is, if you don't mind…You know I'd do it myself if I—"

"I don't mind," Heero cut in smoothly, "I told you I'd do anything—_but _let you leave before you're ready," he added cannily, not wanting to give Duo an out. Duo rolled his eyes at him, but kept any comments to himself. Heero got up then, telling Duo he was going to step outside and find a nurse to bring him a tub for water and some washcloths, as well as materials to redress Duo's few bandaged injuries. Normally, it was the orderly's job to bathe patients and such, but after Heero's first scene in the hospital, they had been happy to leave everything up to the pretty boy's adamant lover. After a few minutes, Heero attracted another young nurse, who promised he'd bring Heero what he needed shortly.

In the meantime, Heero turned the thermostat up again so Duo wouldn't get cold when he was wet, and went about preparing him for his bath. First he folded up their blanket and set it back in his gym bag and then gathered up the sheet that had been on the floor and set it by the door for the nurses to take to the laundry later. Duo lay on the bed then, almost totally exposed in just his cloth gown that reached to the tops of his knees. Heero got a long towel from the bathroom and with much careful shifting and moving, got most of it under Duo in case the bed got wet. He waited until the nurse brought him the other things before he filled a tub and a smaller basin with warm water and returned to help Duo out of his gown.

It was of the design that tied on the sides of a patient's body, so it was easy to take off without worrying about any IVs or other cords. Heero sat beside Duo where he lay on the bed, propped up on his mountain of pillows. "Are you ready?" he asked, wanting to make absolutely sure that Duo wasn't going to change his mind and decide that he wasn't as comfortable about their situation as he had pretended.

Duo was determined though, both to get clean and to let Heero get close to him. He knew it wasn't his fault he couldn't remember their relationship (well, it _was_ because he had stupidly fallen off the ladder…) but he still felt bad every time he saw Heero hesitate before touching him after his first little freakout. He wanted them to get back to being as comfortable around one another as they had been as friends during the war, if not afterward as lovers. And if this was the way to show Heero that he wasn't afraid of him, then Duo would just have to grin and bear it.

"Yup. All green," he reported with his usual joviality. Heero nodded and reached out to slowly untie the strings that held his gown on. They were both fully aware that Duo was naked underneath, but in order to be clean, Duo was willing to sacrifice a little of his dignity—besides, he had every suspicion that Heero had probably been closer to his dick than even _that_ at some point… He swallowed as he felt Heero pull the gown away from his body, letting the front fall to pool in his lap to leave him his modesty for at least a little while longer.

Heero tried not to stare, but couldn't help sneaking a peek at his lover before he pulled the tray table over with the warm water. He added a little body wash to it and swirled it around with his fingers, making sure the water had cooled enough to be comfortable. When he was satisfied that it was warm and all the soap had dissolved, he dunked a washcloth and wrung it all the way out before turning back to Duo. He carefully pushed his braid over his right shoulder so it wasn't in the way, and brought the cloth up to Duo's face. The other boy scrunched up his face cutely like a toddler getting a bath, but submitted silently to Heero's gentle cleaning. He couldn't really complain—Heero's ministrations felt too good for him to argue with and he _was_ getting clean.

Heero began a pattern of using the soapy cloth on Duo and then rinsing him with fresh water from the basin with a different washcloth. He washed his lover's face and neck gently but efficiently, and moved on slowly to his chest, scrubbing it thoroughly before rinsing the cloth and moving on to Duo's back, repeating his earlier pattern.

Heero could feel his lover tense as he brought the cloth down lower to wash his flat belly and sides, running it over smooth skin and a few faded scars. He glanced up to make sure Duo was still doing ok and he saw that Duo was staring down at him, violet eyes intense as he watched Heero's progress. His thin fingers were laced into the folds of the towel under him, clutching it tightly although he didn't look like he realized what he was doing. Heero wondered if this was perhaps too much for the other boy at the moment and he paused, thinking that maybe he should stop rather than have Duo get upset if he went any further right now.

Duo saw Heero look up at him and felt him stop with his hand on his belly, the cloth keeping him from feeling Heero's skin on his. He let out a long breath, one he had not even known he was holding, and his stomach clenched under Heero's hand. Duo then noticed that his hands were gripping the towel and he let go, stretching out his fingers so they lay flat on the bed. So many feelings and emotions were crowding his head that he wasn't sure exactly how to take this new situation.

On the one hand, Heero's ministrations felt good on a purely physical level. Duo liked being clean and Heero was touching him so gently and carefully that he couldn't help beginning to like what he was feeling. On the other hand, it was strange and unsettling to have Heero so close to his naked body. He enjoyed being pampered by him, but the knowledge that this was _Heero_ touching him, his one-time war buddy and now apparently his husband unsettled him more than he liked to admit. It was hard to reconcile his uncertainly with the pleasurable feeling of Heero's hand on him, but he found himself wondering why he was trying to hard to do so. Sure, the situation was strange and unusual, but if it felt so good, why couldn't he just give in and let himself enjoy something for once? He didn't really have a good answer for that, except that he kept thinking in the back of his mind that he _should _fight it, that he had more important things to do than let Heero give him a sponge bath. _But _do_ I..?_ he asked himself.

Duo noticed that Heero had ceased moving and he took another breath, gathering his thoughts. He was reluctant to give in to defeat and admit that he liked what Heero was doing to him, but he was too tired and it felt too good for him to really get himself worked up over it. Perhaps later when he had time to fully reflect on all his feelings and what his "new" life held in store, he could get more upset, but right now he decided to just let things go on as they happened.

"Still green, Heero," he said, letting the other boy know that it was all right for him to continue his bath.

"_Ryoukai_," Heero intoned, giving him a short nod. He could tell that Duo was still unsettled, but his heart swelled with pride at how bravely his lover was handling everything that had happened to him in the last few days. He knew this all must be so strange for Duo, who liked to be in control of everything and know where all his exits were, but he seemed to be doing well, considering. He remembered the first time they had made love together. Duo had been trembling as he was now, breathing deeply to keep himself from giving in to fear. He had never worked well with uncertainty, but they had gotten through it together, their trust in one another going far to ally each other's fears.

Heero sighed at the distant-seeming memory. He rinsed out the cloth again—which by now had gotten cold—and continued to rinse his abdomen until there was nowhere to go but _down_. Trying to act as casual as possible, he reached out and pushed the rest of the gown away from Duo's thighs, exposing his groin. Duo's cock lay limply between his legs, long and slim (Duo winced to see the short length of the catheter sticking out from him, attached to a collection bag on the stand beside him, and he wished he had somehow bribed Quatre into getting him a syringe so he could deflate it and take it out on his own).

Heero tried to keep his mouth from watering at the sight. Not that he was obsessed with sex or anything, but his lover was truly beautiful and going without for nearly a week was longer than Heero was used to. Even seeing his lover's nude body gave his heart a little thrill. Still, he tried to act professional as he slowly moved the cloth down to scrub it through the thick dark curls at the base of Duo's cock, cleaning him as perfunctorily as he could manage. He heard Duo inhale with a hiss as he moved on to run the cloth down the length of his thighs, neglecting his cock for now. He was pleased at the reaction, hearing a hint a frustration in his lover's breath. Duo may not remember having sex with him, but his body certainly did, and seemed to crave it even now.

As he washed Duo's long, boy-smooth legs, (perhaps with more touching than was strictly necessary) Heero saw with satisfaction that his partner was beginning to get aroused. Duo's cock responded to his proximity and rose a little despite his trepidation. Heero pretended not to notice, but he couldn't help cheating a little as he pointedly caressed the backs of Duo's knees, which he knew were an especially sensitive erogenous zone that rendered his lover almost helpless. Whenever he wanted to get Duo to submit to him—for anything from sex to what to make for dinner—, Heero knew he could always attack the backs of Duo's knees or the tender space under his arms and he could have the ticklish boy agreeing to whatever he wanted in a matter of seconds. He only used it as a last resort, but right now Heero felt perversely like teasing his lover, as though it was Duo's fault that he was left sexually unsatisfied.

Duo was surprised to feel a moan escape his lips when Heero started on his thighs, the unconscious sound coming up from deep inside of him. He hated to admit it, but Heero touching him so close to his dick was making him unquestionably aroused. He tried to fight his growing erection, thinking about how he wasn't gay and that he was feeling decidedly _un_sexy here in a hospital bed with a tube stuck up his cock, but to no avail.

He very nearly whimpered with Heero's wandering cloth touched the back of his leg and he tried to jerk it away while at the same time moving it in closer to Heero's hand. The lack of agreement between his body and his mind frustrated him, but not as much as the fact that Heero was now moving back up his legs and again leaving his dick untouched. His mind was growing hazy again—this time with something much more pleasurable than the drugs—and he had a hard time trying to convince himself to tell Heero off for clearly teasing him in his weakened state. All he could get out, however, was his tormentor's name, and it came out in more of a groan than the growl he was hoping for. "Heerooo…"

Heero's own cock hardened as he heard his name moaned in his lover's low, raspy voice. "Yes, Duo?" he asked casually, not stopping.

Duo narrowed his violet eyes dangerously, but his unspoken threat was rather diminished as he panted, "I think…you're forgetting… something."

"Am I?" Heero asked, feigning ignorance. He tried to hide how happy he was that Duo was actually responding somewhat positively to his teasing rather than breaking his arm or some other non-vital body part, but a slow grin crept onto his face despite his efforts.

Duo couldn't believe how sexy he found Heero's grin and didn't even have the strength of will anymore to question why he thought Heero was sexy at all. He was too far lost in his body's unbidden reactions to care anymore. _Fuck it,_ he thought, giving up on fighting against something he knew he wanted, as impossible as it seemed, _Let Heero do it…He obviously wants to._ "Yeah, down here," he said, and with that reached out with his right arm and grabbed Heero's hand, pushing it forcibly down over his groin.

Heero willingly let Duo move his arm and he let go of the washcloth so he could grope his lover, cupping his cock and balls generously in his warm hand. He watched for Duo's reaction and saw the other boy tense and his mouth open to let out little panting breaths. His violet eyes closed and his thin eyebrows knit together as he took in the (to his memory) new sensation. Heero squeezed a little and Duo dropped his head, hunching over and bringing his knees up in reaction to the feeling. He again took great handfuls of the towel underneath him and held on in a death grip as Heero began to stroke him slowly.

"Here, Duo?" Heero asked impishly. Over the years, his lover's devilishly witty personality had rubbed off on him and he had uncovered his own sarcastic, teasing personality that had been long buried beneath the façade of the Perfect Soldier.

"Ugh—yeah! There! Heero!" Duo gasped. He was cringing, his delicate face breaking out into a light sweat as he continued to breathe quickly, reluctantly giving himself over to the pleasurable sensations that his partner was eliciting.

Heero, emboldened by his lover's response, leaned up over him eagerly, still rubbing his slight erection in perfect time. "Duo?" he said softly, almost pleading. His own arousal was pulsing in his trousers, but he tried to ignore it as he pleasured his lover.

Hearing the careful way Heero said his name, Duo opened his eyes again to see the other boy's face close to his. "Huh?" he asked unintelligibly, wondering at the tone in his partner's voice and staggered by his proximity.

"Can I kiss you?" Heero asked, his lips already hovering over Duo's, their breath mingling between them as they panted. "Onegai?" he added, not caring if he sounded desperate now. He moved the tiniest bit closer, hopefully.

Duo sucked in a breath, pausing a beat before he whispered 'Yes' and stretched up to meet Heero's waiting lips. Their mouths joined and the braided boy moaned at how amazing it felt. The second Heero's lips crushed against his, he felt all thoughts of resistance leave him and his body instantly relaxed, sinking back into the pillows as he allowed Heero to kiss him. His skin burned where Heero touched him, from his hand still on his cock, to his bare arm pressed against the length of his chest as he leaned over him.

Heero felt it the moment Duo gave in to him, his soft lips going pliant, and all the tension leaking out of his body in one long breath. The feeling of Duo submitting to him was overwhelmingly arousing, and Heero couldn't help pressing closer. Duo unconsciously opened his mouth to him, and Heero slid his tongue in, tasting his lover deeply.

Duo couldn't believe how incredible the sensations Heero was causing were, and he didn't even consider stopping at his point. He kissed Heero back hungrily, not remembering having any skill at this particular activity, but clearly able to keep up with the other boy as long as he didn't think too hard about it. They kissed with open mouths, the wet, hot sucking noises making his stomach clench in excitement. Without even forming the thought for the action, his hand wandered up into Heero's chocolate-brown hair, clutching it possessively, reveling at the feeling of the other boy's warm skin under his fingertips. When Heero squeezed his sac again, Duo cried out into his mouth and arched up, craving more of the intense feeling. He was so close, he felt his orgasm growing. He didn't care though; he was too busy kissing his best friend.

The boys' impromptu make-out session was rudely interrupted a moment later by the sudden droning alarm that announced a Code Blue in Duo's ward. They broke apart in surprise and jerked back from each other with identical guilty expressions—Duo for giving in and actually _kissing_ Heero and Heero for molesting his invalid, memory-challenged husband. Duo made a grab for the front of his hospital gown and used it to hastily cover his lap and Heero retrieved the washcloth and turned, pretending to wring it out over the basin of cold water. They were both breathing fast and now could hear the insistent beeping of the heart monitor in the background, responding to Duo's increased cardiac and respiratory activity. Thankfully, most of the nurses were distracted by the Code-ing patient to notice.

After the alarm was reset and the sounds of the ward went back to normal, Heero got up and fetched Duo's tiger blanket, draping it over his love both for modesty and because he didn't want the other boy to catch a cold. He quickly retrieved the bandages and sterile dressing to rebind Duo's injuries, doing so carefully with as little touching as possible.

Heero sat then and cleared his throat before asking delicately if Duo would still like him to wash his hair. Duo replied just as charily that he would and Heero went to get more warm water while Duo distracted himself by turning on the TV and flipping to an old Earth cartoon he recognized (he had promised Quatre that he would refrain from watching the news until Heero could fill him in on more current events, even though he was dying to know what was going on). Heero came back and proceeded to carefully wet and clean Duo's hair, taking his time to prevent spilling, while Duo watched TV. Duo fell asleep as Heero was slowly combing out his hair to untangle and dry it, lulled into sleep by the gentle, repetitive motions and the relaxed sound of Heero's breathing.


	5. Fragile Moments

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait on chapter 5-took a little trip to Wichita this weekend and got absolutely nothing done.

A/N: A little more medical stuff that might be slightly squicky, but it's over soon so you can probably skip if if you want.

**Chapter 5: Fragile Moments**

Heero was still sitting an hour later, combing Duo's long hair dry as the other boy napped, when a nurse slipped quietly into the room. Heero looked up at her and put down his brush. "Yes?" he asked, wondering if the doctor had sent her for some reason.

"Well," she said quietly, looking with apprehension at the slumbering patient, "I was told that I could come in an remove his catheter since you would be here to see that he would be taken care of without it, but I don't think we should wake him just for that."

Heero smirked, setting the brush aside. "I think it would be far worse _not_ to wake him for that. He's been wanting it out for a while now."

The nurse smiled a little too. "I don't blame him. Well, you can wake him, then, and I'll get things ready to remove it."

Heero agreed and the nurse left briefly to gather the necessary supplies. Hoping that he wasn't about to open a can of worms, he leaned in and spoke softly into Duo's ear—knowing better than to touch him to try to wake him in case his hair-trigger response had returned as his memories had reverted back to the war. "Duo? Wake up. The nurse is coming to remove your catheter."

Duo awoke almost instantly, latching onto those promising words even in sleep. He smiled and sat up in anticipation, bouncing gleefully like a child on the eve of his birthday with tons of presents in store for him. Heero rolled his eyes at his lover's excitement, but dutifully got up and cleaned away the bathing equipment so the nurse would have room to work. Thankfully, removing the thing was much easier than inserting it, although he knew Duo would probably still be giving him grief about it for a long time to come. He didn't care though, as long as his lover was happy.

The nurse returned a moment later, carrying a sterile-wrapped syringe, some disinfectant, and a container in which to deposit the used equipment. This time, Duo was only too delighted to let Heero lift the blanket and expose him to the nurse. Heero noticed that she didn't comment on his lover's current state of undress, but he guessed that she was used to seeing so many naked men, that one more wasn't something to blink at—even if, in Heero's opinion, Duo was the handsomest naked man in the hospital.

Duo obligingly spread his legs to give the nurse room to work and she quickly and efficiently used a long Q-tip to spread iodine over the head of his penis before removing the syringe from its plastic-and-paper wrapper. She inserted it into the free end of the catheter and slowly deflated the tiny balloon, carefully making sure that she got all the saline solution before tossing the syringe in the nearby sharps box affixed to the wall. She then told Duo to relax (he winced, knowing what was coming, but tried to do as she said) and firmly gripped the long end of the tube, beginning to pull it out gently.

Duo gritted his teeth at the stinging feeling and his hands clenched in the bedsheets. When he felt Heero's tentative touch on the back of one of his hands, he automatically flipped it over, twining his fingers with Heero's and gripping his hand instead of the abused blanket. As the looped tip of the catheter finally cleared his penis, Duo simultaneously let out a long, relieved breath, laying his head back onto his pillows. His chestnut hair, still loose from Heero's combing, fanned out around his head like a golden-brown halo, hanging over the sides of the bed and brushing the other boy's knees. Heero grabbed a hank of it before it could touch the floor and brought it back up to set on the bed next to Duo.

The nurse praised Duo for being brave and disposed of the catheter and the hanging collection bag before coming back over with another syringe, plus a small glass bottle of clear liquid. Duo groaned as she explained that she would be giving him a shot of antibiotic in case the catheter might have started an infection. As she measured out a dose and then squirted it into his IV, she also explained (to Duo's mild consternation) that the doctor had ordered her to leave the IV line in. It was mainly for hydrating and antibiotics and to keep a line open for anything they want to get into his veins fast, so they wouldn't have to keep starting a new one or poking holes into him.

Duo held back his complaining until she had left the room after briefing Heero on how to help Duo relieve himself using the bottles in the bathroom cabinet. "Ugh, that sucks," he said to Heero, who was making himself comfortable in his chair once more, "They should just let me go now. I'm as healed as I'm gonna get in here. I wanna go home; wherever that is, I'm sure it's better than here."

Heero quietly assured him that it was, distracted as he booted up his laptop to check his messages. Duo leaned over curiously, trying to sneak a look at the screen, but Heero deftly moved it out of his line of sight without looking up. Duo watched as his partner's eyes roved quickly over something on the screen, noticing how Heero's brow puckered in a display of increasing annoyance. He finally let out a huffy breath and shut down the computer.

"What's up?" Duo asked, wanting to be included in whatever Heero was doing. Cabin fever was beginning to set in again as Duo regained his strength and his curiosity about his supposed future life was overwhelming.

Heero glanced over at him, down at his laptop, then back up, looking agitated. "I need to call into the office and fax them some paperwork…the—my manager needs these documents today and I'm supposed to be in a conference that starts in 5 minutes." He frowned, obviously upset that his work was interfering with his personal life. Duo almost had to laugh at that—two years ago, things had been completely the other way around for Heero who had never let anything personal affect his work performance in his missions. As much as he liked the change, Duo knew that Heero was being a little over-protective and he didn't see the problem with him leaving to call in and fax his papers.

Duo shrugged and adjusted his blanket to cover his bare chest—he still hadn't bothered to put his hospital gown back on. "So, go do it, then. I'm pretty sure I won't relapse in the next half hour. After that, though, I make no promises," he joked. He hoped his flippant mood would help Heero to see that he was well enough to be left alone long enough for the other boy to run his errands without worrying.

"That's not funny," Heero said, but he paused afterwards, clearly trying to access the situation fully before making any concrete decisions.

"Go on, Heero," Duo goaded. He truly appreciated his partner's protectiveness, but he also didn't like feeling that he was keeping Heero contained and stopping him from doing what he needed to do. "I promise not to make any escape attempts while you're gone. At least not until after lunch."

Heero sighed and finally smirked a little at his husband's humor. He was glad that Duo was feeling well enough to joke and in all honesty, he had been right in saying that he was probably healed enough to be released. Still, Heero wasn't taking any chances and he would wait to hear what the doctor said before making any kind of conversation on the issue of Duo's escape—er, _release_. Considering Duo's improved health, he had no reason other than his own insecurities to neglect his Preventers duties.

Their joint, two-week vacation had only been secured on the promise that they would both keep up-to-date on things and fulfill their duties even if they wouldn't be coming into the office or going on missions. Of course, now that contract was becoming increasingly difficult to adhere to. Heero's cell phone had to be turned off in accordance with the hospital rules and Commander Une—who hadn't been able to contact him on it—had just sent him a rather snippy e-mail that stated in no uncertain terms that if he absolutely _couldn't_ make it to the HQ, he had to at least conference in via webcam and submit his paperwork that was due at the end of the day. However, to do both required that he leave Duo's floor and he had a hard time accepting that. But, after considering everything, accept it he did.

He stood upon reaching his decision, gathering up his laptop and briefcase to organize his things. "I'll be gone 15 minutes—20 minutes tops. I'll be in the ground floor lobby where cell phones are allowed and there is a fax machine. I'm going to leave you my number and I want you to call it if anything happens or you need anything." Heero printed his number on a scrap of paper and put it directly into Duo's hand. "Do not, under any circumstances, leave this room. If I find that you have moved from his bed, so help me Duo Maxwell…" he added, leaving his threat hanging as he growled menacingly.

Duo rolled his eyes. "Not like there's anywhere for me to go without you," Duo reminded him. "I'll be fine. I promise to contact you if I need you, ok?" he said, trying to make this easier for Heero, who was clearly finding it difficult to leave him alone. He reminded Duo of a mother hen, watching defensively over her youngling.

"Ok," Heero agreed. He snapped his briefcase shut and turned to face Duo. Duo gasped when he saw what Heero held in his hand, arm down straight so it was hidden by the bedrail: a small Glock. Heero clicked on the safety and, without a word, slid it under Duo's mountain of pillows. As he pulled his hand back, he brushed the back of it across his lover's cool cheek. "I love you," he said, and then was gone, swinging silently out the room door.

Duo blinked at his partner's abrupt departure, still a little surprised about his "gift". He waited until he was sure Heero was gone before sitting up and reaching for the gun. He slid it out from under his pillow and cradled it in his lap, running his fingertips over it lightly. The gun was black with a flat matte finish—a weapon he was familiar with due to his missions that required absolute stealth. He had painted all his guns with this type of paint, covering up the glossy finish that had the potential of giving him away at night or in dark places.

Curious about the gun's similarity to his own weapons, Duo automatically popped out the magazine and turned the clip over to inspect the bottom. Sure enough, there was his sign: his initials intertwined with the number 02. He carved the same symbol into all his guns—a little good luck bit of superstition that he had carried around as a soldier; a weapon with someone's sign couldn't be used against its owner. Surprisingly, so far the trick had worked, so Duo wasn't surprised that he was still using it at this day and age. Of course, that begged the question about why he still had at least one gun, but what made him wonder more was why Heero was carrying around one of _his_ guns. Did he have it in case he thought Duo might want it? Was it some strange bit of sentimentality he had developed, carrying around his lover's gun? Or was it simply that these days they shared weapons? Maybe they had a stash of them at home, and Heero had just picked the one on top? If that was so, did their new jobs require weapons or were they both just paranoid?

Duo sighed and replaced the clip, snapping it back up into the Glock with practiced hands. He supposed idle conjecture would do him no good at the moment. He was just about to reach for his crossword again to try to tackle the "Across" column when a knock at his door had him reaching automatically for his gun. He cocked it without thinking and aimed it carefully at a silhouette showing through the frosted window pane.

Quatre heard the familiar sound of a gun being cocked and quickly spoke to assure Duo of who he was. Duo sighed in relief and replaced the gun under his pillow before telling the Winner he could come in. Quatre did so, making sure the door was firmly closed behind him when he said, "Did Heero give that to you? I _told_ him not to arm you. Obviously, since your memory has reverted back to the time of war, so have your reflexes. Your hair-trigger is just as quick as ever."

"Give me some credit, Quatre. I didn't shoot 'cha did I?" Duo protested, relaxing back onto the bed. "Speaking of the Perfect Soldier, I guess he called you in as reinforcements. You responded pretty quick—he only left a few minutes ago."

Quatre grinned reluctantly as he took a seat. "He did message me, but I was already on my way here to visit you."

"I guess that was lucky, or else he probably never would have left me alone to do what he needed to do. But, since you're here, you may as well stay and keep me company." Duo proceeded to chat with Quatre about his day, mentioning the over joyous removal of his catheter and the reduction of his meds while conveniently leaving out any allusion to his sponge bath or what came after it.

Heero returned well within the 20 minute parameter had he set and brought with him lunch in the form of food delivered from a local Italian diner that he said was one of Duo's favourite places. Duo didn't remember that, but as he bit into his meatball grinder, he decided that it would be from now on, as the food was amazing. Quatre stayed for lunch, but shortly afterwards he excused himself, saying he had an important meeting that evening with some investors. That left Heero and Duo alone again with the rest of the day to occupy themselves.

All throughout lunch, Duo had caught Heero shooting him sidelong glances despite Quatre's presence. He himself was still a little shaken about their encounter earlier, but thanks to the nurse and his nap, he hadn't had the time to properly process what had happened. What he had let Heero do to him…

Now it all seemed a little surreal, like he had dreamed it, but even in his nightmares his dreams had never been so vivid, and if he let his mind drift, he could instantly feel Heero's hands and lips on him again as though it were real in that moment as well as a memory of what had happened before. He was determined not to bring it up, however, until he had had the proper time to process it all—preferably out of Heero's sight.

Of course, Duo's silence on the subject was torture to Heero. He knew that his lover had enjoyed their actions in the moment, but afterwards things had been decidedly awkward and he hoped like hell he hadn't ruined anything between them. Had he pushed Duo too far out of his present comfort zone that now he wanted nothing to do with him, or did he just need time to process it? Heero knew that at the time Duo had been knocked out in that explosion, he had had limited sexual contact with either sex and certainly not with him, so letting Heero almost jerk him off had to have been a huge step forward in his current condition. Heero vacillated between wanting to bring it up and talk about it to letting Duo have his time if he needed it, but the interim was slowly driving him mad.

Not that much had changed. During lunch they had chatted companionably, both with each other as well as with Quatre, and the Winner hadn't seemed to notice anything amiss in their relationship. But now that he was gone, there was a definite note of tension in the air. As Heero cleared the remains of their lunch and disposed of it, Duo lay on his bed, idly picking at a strip of tape that held the IV needle under his skin. He longed to pull it out, but he knew better than to try with Heero around.

After he had finished cleaning up, Heero returned to his chair and sat down with his hands in his lap. The only sound in the room was the soft incessant beep of the heart monitor and the low whoosh of the air conditioning. Duo finally left the tape alone and started fiddling with his hair, which was still loose from Heero's brushing earlier. Seeing Duo start to play with his hair and how some of the strands were coming dangerously close to getting tangled in the IV lines, Heero finally decided to break the quiet.

"Would you like me to braid your hair?" he asked. Duo dropped his hands and looked up at him in surprise.

"Um…sure," he murmured, and then added quickly, "That would be nice." Heero gave him a friendly, almost relieved smile and stood up, going over to rummage in their toiletry bag for a ponytail elastic. He found one and snapped it over his wrist before returning to Duo's side. Duo sat up and turned as much as he could so he presented his back to Heero, making it easier for him to get to his hair. Taking the brush from the side table, Heero gently ran it through Duo's hair a few times, making sure all the tangles were out before he separated it into three long sections. He braided it deftly, having had plenty of practice.

It had taken Duo a while to trust Heero enough to let him touch his hair, even though he loved him. The braid was a symbol of all his lost loved ones and he guarded it protectively, paranoid about it being cut. The first time they had made love, Heero had known better than to ask him to take it down, even though he would have liked to see it loose. It was only after they had slept together long enough to feel comfortable about each other that Heero had asked. His lover had hesitated only a moment before nodding and reaching behind him, handing Heero the end of it to untie. Heero had taken the offer for what it was, a symbolic giving of Duo's trust as well as love to him, and he had treasured that night almost as much as their first time together.

"You're good at that," Duo commented. Despite his reticence, he couldn't deny that he liked the feel of Heero running his fingers through his hair, tugging it lightly as he plaited it. Duo had his eyes closed and he realized that out of context, the feeling of Heero behind him, playing with his hair, was almost…erotic.

As soon as he thought that, something popped into his head. Whether it was a random vision or a latent memory, he wasn't sure, but the pressure on the roots of his hair brought about a string of feelings and sensations that left him reeling when they finished. He could suddenly feel a warm body close behind him, a flat, bare chest pressed up against his equally naked back, slick with what he assumed was sweat. His hair was everywhere, flowing as he moved to an unknown rhythm, rocked forward and back by the person behind him. Long arms were around him, anchoring him to the other body firmly but gently and his own arms were thrust back, gripping hard flesh behind him to keep himself steady as they moved together. His throat contracted, something about to be said on the tip of his tongue, but at that moment Heero snapped the band loudly around the end of his braid and shattered the vision behind his eyes.

Duo gasped and his violet eyes flew open in shock. His daydream had been so vivid that he could only assume it was a memory dredged up from somewhere in the past two years. He started to turn in order to share his vision with Heero, but he arrested his own movement almost as soon as he made it, thinking quickly. He didn't know much about it, but he was almost certain that in his dream, he had been having sex with someone. What else could account for the apparent nudity and fluidity of motion with another person locked around him?

As much as he wanted to let his partner know that he may have just come close to a medical breakthrough, he didn't want to have to tell Heero what he thought he had remembered. Besides the fact that it was exceedingly embarrassing to have had that type of vision with Heero so close while braiding his hair, what was even worse was what he had been doing in the dream itself—and most importantly of all, with whom. Despite his reluctance to think about their relationship, Duo would have liked to assume that it had been Heero behind him in the vision as well, but what if it hadn't been? What if he had turned into some kind of slut? If he would have sex with Heero now, who else might he have slept with in the past two years?

Heero noticed Duo's sudden motion and wondered for a moment if he had somehow hurt himself. "Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly, putting a careful hand on his lover's bare shoulder. Duo flinched and gasped a little at the touch and Heero immediately pulled his hand back, his heart stopping in his chest. Duo's movement had just confirmed his suspicions that their earlier activities had shaken him up too much, and now they were back to square one where he was afraid of any touch from Heero at all. Heero stood up and backed away, returning to his chair on the other side of the bed.

Duo could tell right away that he had hurt Heero and he instantly regretted it. He just hadn't been expecting the sudden contact so soon after his disturbing vision—he hadn't even been thinking about his almost-handjob that morning. Wanting to clear up the misunderstanding he knew had just occurred, he twisted around to look at Heero, reaching out to him as far as his IV would allow. "Wait, Heero. I'm sorry! I was just surprised—I was daydreaming and lost track of what was going on…"

Heero gave him a thin smile. "It's fine Duo. I know I went too far this morning. _I'm_ the one who should be apologizing." He felt terrible, knowing that he had just undone everything he'd worked for in the past two days. He had hoped that things were getting more normal between them, but clearly his expectations had been too high from the beginning.

Duo let loose a stubborn growl, gripping the bedsheets menacingly—he was _not_ going to let Heero punish himself for something that had clearly been consensual even if he wasn't sure _why_ he had consented. "Stop it, Heero. I can see right through you, buddy, and I don't want you beating yourself up. I may not be totally comfortable with how things are going right now, but I asked for it anyway and you were only doing what I wanted. You're not at fault."

"What _I_ wanted," Heero corrected, regret heavy in his voice. His dark blue eyes were tortured and his smile was now completely rueful—he had always harboured a sort of gallows humour that surfaced when he was stressed or excited. "I forced you before you were ready."

Duo snorted. "I forced _you_, if you can remember that far back. And, as you may also recall, I was perfectly 'ready'." He may not have been able to recall the last two years, but that morning came back to him with perfect clarity. He had practically commanded Heero to touch his dick, taking his friend's hand and moving it down between his open legs. He said everything was 'green' when Heero paused, he had whispered 'yes' when Heero asked to kiss him and had responded with equal vigor. There had been no mistaking his part in their actions, even if he hadn't been entirely sure why he was participating.

Heero didn't answer but he looked up sharply when Duo started to move towards him, scooting over on the bed. Duo still held out his hand, twitching his fingers at him impatiently. "Come on, get back up here, Yuy. I want to take a nap and since you did such a good job at keeping me warm last night, you can reprise your role as a blanket." When Heero gave him no response but widened eyes, Duo added with a threatening voice, "Don't make me tell you twice…"

The other boy finally gave him a small grin and got up again. He didn't completely believe that Duo was ok with what they had done, but he trusted that his friend wouldn't lie just to keep him from feeling bad. Maybe he had just misunderstood Duo's reaction—he _did_ have a tendency to blow things out of proportion when he expected them to go wrong.

He moved back over to sit beside Duo on the bed. Duo was about to lean over against him, but Heero stopped him with a gentle touch on his arm. The other boy looked at him in confusion, but Heero was already moving, bracing his hands on Duo's hips and holding him in place as he maneuvered himself behind Duo, with one leg on either side, warm chest flush up against his lover's naked back. He pulled the sheet up over the both of them, trapping the dual heat of their bodies beneath it.

Duo tensed in surprise at their new position, but when Heero put his arms carefully around him and lay back a little, Duo forced his body to relax and let himself fall against the boy behind him. He was amazed to find that resting his back against Heero was actually quite comfortable and he relished the contact that made him feel warm and secure. He couldn't deny that whatever else happened between then—whether they really were lovers or just good friends—he would always feel safe and at ease next to Heero. The arms that could bend steel were gentle around him; Heero's hard, muscled body soft when he was peaceful.

Duo sighed and let his eyes close, focusing on the light rise and fall of Heero's chest as he breathed. He didn't even move this time when he felt Heero's hands start to touch his sides under the sheet, caressing his skin with feathery touches of rough fingers. He drifted off to sleep with Heero gently rubbing his abdomen and didn't wake again until Heero roused him for dinner.


	6. Shards

Howdy! So, a bit more hospital torture for poor Duo, followed by a smexy boys scene. What's not to love?^^

**Chapter 6: Shards**

"Mmm, where's the doctor?" Duo asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "_Not_ that I want to see him or anything, but doesn't he usually come before dinner?"

"He must be busy," Heero replied as he swung his legs around Duo's back so he could rest comfortably next to him to share the evening meal a nurse had just brought in. "There was another Code about 10 minutes ago, so maybe he's taking care of that."

Duo paused while trying to punch his straw through the foil top of his milk container. "A Code? I didn't hear anything."

Heero chuckled. "I'm not surprised—you were out cold. I'm glad it didn't wake you though—no matter what you say, you still need as much sleep as possible."

"Which I can get perfectly well at home without running up more medical bills," Duo countered. He cursed as his hand slipped and his straw slid stubbornly across the surface of his milk without going through the top. Heero took it from him and poked the straw through in one easy thrust before handing it back.

"We'll see what the doctor says," he told his lover placatingly. Duo rolled his eyes—he had lost pretty much all confidence in his so-called physician over the past few days—but went about eating without bringing it up again.

The two of them had finished their dual plates of fish and steamed vegetables and were just starting on the dessert (two slices of Dixie pie) when the doctor finally showed up, looking a little frazzled.

"And how are you this evening, Duo?" he asked, flipping through his charts while sparing a short glance at Duo.

"Great Doc," Duo replied in his most chipper-sounding voice. "I feel 100% better. I could take on a mass of Ozzies again in a heartbeat and not even break a sweat!" Heero's long-suffering sigh from beside him told him he was laying it on a little too thick, but Duo was doing his best to convince the doctor that his hospital stay was over.

"Yes, well…" the man said, staring down at his clipboard and looking back and forth between two computer read-outs, "All external signs indicate that your heart rate and mental patterns have returned to normal…You are fully off the pain medication, yes?" He checked for himself as Duo nodded enthusiastically. "Yes…Well, you're still in delicate condition but I don't see why you can't return home and recuperate there…" Duo started to bounce excitedly on the bed. "I'd like to keep you just one more night for observation—" Duo froze in horror—"but I'll order some lab work to make sure everything else is normal, and if that checks out, you can go home tomorrow morning. At the very least, right now we can probably loose your IV."

Duo's grin returned and he sat straight up, pleased as pudding. "Thanks, Doc! I promise; I'm as healthy as ever. I'll take it easy at home and everything!"

The doctor couldn't help but smile at Duo's infectious excitement. "Yes, see that you do. Well, you boys enjoy your dessert. I'll send in a nurse shortly to help with the tests." He signed the chart at the bottom of Duo's bed then, and left with a final wave. Duo was so happy that he flung his arms around Heero in an exuberant show of emotion, hugging him tightly. Heero hugged him back, keeping a watchful eye on Duo's drip line.

"Didja hear that, Heero!? He said I could go home!" Duo shouted.

"_Tomorrow_," Heero amended in his usual monotone voice. As happy that he was that Duo was hugging him, he didn't want the other boy to get too worked up and hurt himself in some way. "Until then, you're still under observation. Now be good and eat your pie."

"Yes, Mom," Duo laughed, letting go with a last squeeze. "Whatever you say." He went back to obediently eating his slice, but Heero could tell he was no longer concentrating on his food. After they had both finished, Heero cleared up the remains and stacked the dishes for the orderly, pushing the tray table back against the bathroom wall. He was about to suggest they watch another movie or find a game to play when the nurse that had come in earlier returned, saying she had been sent to retrieve some test samples. Duo cringed at the sound of that.

First, she took a blood sample, uncapping a needle attached to a small tube and sticking it in the crook of Duo's arm. He winced at the sharp pain, but bore it stoically, knowing that it was his ticket to freedom in the morning. She then proceeded to unhook Duo's drips, disconnecting the lines and slipping the needles out from under his skin, closing the wounds with Sesame Street characters Band-Aids. Duo sighed in relief when they were out, rubbing his inner arm gleefully. Finally, the nurse held up a plastic bottle that Duo did _not_ like the looks of.

She smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid I'll also need a urine sample for the lab. Normally, _I_ would collect it, but if you would feel more comfortable having your partner do it, I think I can bend the rules a little."

Duo sucked in a breath and tried to think quickly of which scenario would be less mortifying. Although the nurse had told Heero earlier when she removed his catheter how to help Duo relieve himself, the braided boy had been holding back, hoping that he could make it until the morning. At the moment, he almost found himself wishing he had the catheter back in to simplify things…Almost. Still, he reasoned, Heero had already touched him once down there, so would it really make that much of a difference now?

He sighed and looked down at his knees. "Um, Heero, I guess…" he muttered, wondering bitterly who he had pissed off in a past life for him to be subjected to such inhumane torture in his current one.

The nurse nodded and handed Heero the bottle, instructing him to bring it to the nurse's station as soon as they were done collecting the sample. Heero replied that he would and thanked the nurse as she left to take his blood to the lab. After she let the door swing shut behind her, Heero turned to Duo. He tried not to show it, but he was happy that Duo had chosen him. He knew it was an extremely awkward situation that they were both in, but he appreciated that Duo seemed to trust him enough to let him help. He was sure his husband would rather gnaw an arm off than to be here like he was, but at the moment, he had very little choice in the matter.

"Let's get this over with," Duo grumbled darkly. Heero nodded sympathetically and reached out slowly to lift the sheet away from Duo's bare legs. They never had bothered to put his hospital gown back on, so he was still completely naked under the linens. Duo steeled himself and looked away as Heero shifted on the bed, leaning closer to get at a better angle. He felt his friend carefully touch his dick with one warm hand, positioning it to point into the bottle. He flinched a little when the cool plastic bumped against him and he was mortified when he felt his stomach clench again in unmistakable excitement. _Traitor…_he thought to it.

"I'm ready," Heero told him a moment later, and Duo tried to relax, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. However, a minute and then two passed and try as he might, he couldn't get himself to release anything. At this point, he actually had to go pretty badly, but he was too tense to let his body do the work for him.

Heero finally looked up at Duo to see his gaze focused firmly on the opposite wall, the tips of his ears and cheeks red with embarrassment. He tried to encourage his lover, knowing what a hard time he must be having.

"Duo, it's ok. Just relax and this will all be over. I'm not watching, I promise."

Duo gave him a loud sigh. "Look can't I just go to the bathroom? I won't make a run for it."

Heero put his other hand on Duo's thigh comfortingly. "You're not supposed to get out of bed yet. I know you think you're strong enough, but I don't want you to get hurt again."

"Well, I can't do this lying here in bed! I'm not a four-year old!" Duo said huffily, his temper surfacing as his embarrassment grew.

Heero withdrew the bottle, thinking quickly of a way to solve their problem. There was no way he would let Duo hobble around on his own, but maybe they could compromise. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Can you do it if I help you stand? Not all the way to the bathroom, but here beside the bed?"

Duo ground his teeth for a moment, considering. He finally looked up at Heero and nodded. Heero set aside the bottle and stood before bending over and putting his arm around Duo under his shoulders. Duo tried to heave himself up, but was surprised when he needed a little more help than he had anticipated. Swallowing his pride, he settled an arm around Heero's neck and let him carefully pick him up and set his feet on the floor. His head spun a little as his weak legs tried to keep him up, but Heero made sure he didn't fall, holding onto him tightly until he gained a modicum of balance.

"Status?" Heero asked when Duo had stopped swaying where he stood.

"Limes," Duo replied, jokingly using the fruit to represent his 'green' status colour. Heero rolled his eyes and reached for the bottle again, holding it up for Duo to go in. Duo closed his eyes, trying to envision himself somewhere else and _alone_, but the same thing happened. He was just too tense; he needed something to get him to relax or forget—

He jumped in shock when he felt Heero's hot breath in his ear a second before his partner kissed him there. A warm hand ran up and down his arm soothingly, helping him to focus on something other than his shame at not being able to do this for himself.

"Relaaxxx…" Heero whispered in a low, deep voice. Duo's breath caught in his chest as the errant thought that Heero's voice was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard rushed through his mind. "Let me distract you," his partner said, moving a step closer so Duo could feel the brush of Heero's t-shirt against his side. Duo shuddered and released his breath, letting the built-up fluid in his body out along with it. He concentrated on the sensation of Heero's calming touches and his deep, strangely arousing, voice.

After a few seconds, Duo finished and he suddenly slumped back into Heero's arms, exhausted from the stress of the situation and from standing on long-immobile legs. Heero wasn't ready for Duo's unexpected weight in his arms and he felt himself start to fall. Still the Perfect Soldier despite his two years of relative inactivity, he managed to set the bottle on the edge of the tray table before he and Duo tumbled backwards onto the bed.

Duo ended up on his back, his legs splayed, with Heero on top of him. He gasped as the other boy's hip bumped his own bruised left one, but the pain was nothing compared to how good it felt to have Heero on top of him. His friend's long body seemed to fit perfectly between his legs as their chests lined up, their faces inches apart. After Heero's teasing kiss a moment ago, the sudden pressure on his cock was delicious and without the catheter to stop him, he found himself getting instantly hard against the other boy.

Impulsively, Duo arched up against him, his body seeking more sensation now that it was aroused. Heero huffed out a surprised breath and responded, crushing his own pelvis against his lover's as he felt the other boy's hardness through his sweats. Duo cast his head back at the feeling, his breath quickening as his hormones took over. He moaned as Heero's lips locked over his and put up no resistance when his tongue entered his mouth. His head was still spinning from being vertical after so long in bed and now he was drowning in the emotions brought on my Heero's proximity. His mind was a jumble and he was unable to cling to any one clear thought but merely ran through sensory details and responded to them.

Heero, too, was beside himself with passion. His actions were a mixture of lust and relief at Duo's recovery and he had a hard time trying to remember why something in the back of his head was telling him that what he was doing was wrong. He had always stuck to his philosophy that 'the only way to live a good life is to act on your emotions' and at the moment, his body and emotions were in complete agreement. Feeling Duo's supple frame underneath him unlocked a flood of thoughts and feelings he'd been holding back since his lover had awoken and now he was unable to stop from acting on them. He sucked at Duo's mouth feverishly, as though he might never get enough of the taste of him, and ground his hips down against Duo's own obvious erection.

Heero pulled away to take a hasty breath and then drove on with renewed vigor. He left Duo's mouth to run his lips down over his neck, laving his tongue over the other boy's collarbones. He sat up a little to get a better angle and felt Duo's lower body leave the bed, seeking friction against him. He kissed his way wetly down Duo's chest, pausing briefly to give attention to both his nipples before going lower, intent now on his goal.

When Heero's mouth left his, all Duo could think about was that he could breathe again and he focused on that, letting the other pleasurable sensations wash freely over his body. As the oxygen once again entered his brain, however, he began to realize just what was going on and instant fear replaced the lustful need that had overcome his system. What was he doing? One minute he had been letting Heero help him piss into a bottle, and now here he was making out with his best friend. Who also happened to be his husband—a fact Duo still hadn't been able to come to terms with in his condition. With everything that had already happened that day, the strain was too much for him to take now. When he felt Heero go lower and he guessed what the other boy intended to do, he snapped, panic freezing his body and running like sudden ice through his veins.

"Stop!" he said loudly, trying frantically to sit up against Heero's weight. "Heero, please!"

Heero broke off his kissing at Duo's plea and as he looked up at the glassy fear in his lover's violet eyes, his mind snapped back into place. He gasped in horror at what he had been doing and immediately rolled off of the other boy, giving him some room.

"Oh, God, Duo! I'm so sorry!" he said raggedly, still breathing hard but trying to control himself when he saw what state Duo was in. "I can't believe I just…I promise I won't touch you again without—" To his surprise, his hasty apology was cut off when Duo abruptly rolled towards him and curled his arms around his chest. Heero blinked in confusion and his eyes widened when he felt Duo start to sob, his frail body shuddering against his own as he cried into his shirt. He instinctively put his arms back around Duo, holding him gently.

Duo had had all he could handle and to his shame, tears started to well up in his eyes. He was completely conflicted and he didn't know what to do. He wanted to run as far from Heero and his troubling emotions as possible, but he also needed the warmth and comfort of his best friend. He couldn't help it if that same person just happened to be the source of his problems as well. Despite everything that had happened between them, Heero was still the person he trusted the most and Duo needed that safety net at the moment. He curled into the heat of Heero's body where he lay beside him and let himself cry, purging himself of all the chaos and uncertainly that clouded his mind and made him miserable.

"I'm just so confused…" he said in between sobs. "What I feel and what I think I should feel aren't the same and I can't remember why. I-I love you as my friend and trust you as my partner, but when you touch me it's something more and it scares me. I hate not knowing!" he wailed, beating weakly at Heero's back with his loose fist. "This sucks! I want to either go back to the way things were or remember what's happened since. I don't want to be stuck in-between! I know I'm hurting you and Quatre, but I just… can't…" He took a few shaky breaths as his throat contracted, unable to speak coherently any more.

Heero hugged him fiercely, tucking the other boy's head beneath his chin protectively. "Don't worry about me or Quatre right now," he ordered. "Just concentrate on yourself and getting better. I'll love you whether or not you remember. I'm so, so sorry for pressuring you."

He wanted to say more, to apologize all night, but he knew that if he showed Duo how upset he was, Duo would think that was his fault as well and that was the _last_ thing Heero wanted. Instead, he simply held Duo as he cried, soothing him with light, casual touches on his back. Eventually Duo exhausted himself enough to fall asleep even as he sobbed and Heero pulled the sheets up over them, content to stay right where he was with his arms firmly around his lover.


	7. Fragments

Duo finally gets to go home! You get a double post tonight, 'cause this just didn't seem like enough. For some reason, this story is really easy to write.  
Thanks as always for the sweet reviews-you guys rock!

**Chapter 7: Fragments**

Heero was up before Duo the next morning but he was not surprised to find his lover still sleeping; he had had a hard night. Duo had fallen asleep as he cried in his arms, but had begun to toss and turn soon after, dozing restlessly and never truly sleeping for more than an hour at a time. Heero assumed that he had been plagued with more nightmares and he felt guilty because he suspected he was the cause of them. He had pushed Duo too hard that evening, letting his emotions run away with him. He wasn't used to having to hold himself back with his lover and was finding it difficult to keep control when he was conditioned to let himself go.

It was still early, at least an hour until breakfast was to be served, but Heero knew Duo wanted to leave as soon as possible and for once, he was in agreement. He didn't like how he was constantly on edge in the hospital and wanted to get home where he was more comfortable with his surroundings and had a better chance of protecting the man he loved. If he was being honest with himself, he knew that Duo was well on his way to a full recovery and despite the memory loss, this other injuries were almost healed so there was nothing more the hospital to could do for him. That, and deep down Heero held the furtive hope that something about their home would trigger Duo's memories and he was eager to try his theory.

He sat up a little and gazed down at his slumbering love. Duo was still curled up against him, his body forming a defensive ball. He had been asleep for about half an hour since his last tossing fit and Heero hated to disturb him, but if they wanted to leave, it would be best to be ready as soon as the nurse came with his release papers.

In spite of his long, tearful night, Duo was still lovely. The thin rays of sunlight that slipped through the blinds to lie across his face lent him an almost ethereal beauty that made Heero's heart constrict with longing. Unable to stop himself, he leaned over and woke Duo with a gentle kiss on his sun-warmed forehead.

There was a sudden whirl of movement and Heero caught his breath as he found himself face-to-face with Duo's gun, the barrel almost jammed up his nose it was so close. Duo was still lying with his eyes closed, but there was a rueful grin on his full lips. "Almost got it that time, love," he said playfully. "You know better than to test my trigger finger this early in the morning." He eased back the hammer with his thumb and pointed the gun safely towards the ceiling. "Now let me get back to sleep or you'll be sayin 'hi' to my old buddy Mr. Bullet." He yawned and replaced the Glock under his pillow before resting his head on it and going immediately back to sleep.

Heero sat frozen in place a full minute before he dared to resume breathing. He blinked in shock at what had just happened, his heart now racing. Duo had called him 'love'. He hadn't seemed surprised to find Heero in bed with him nor at the fact that he was naked. Could that mean…?

"Duo?" Heero said, trying to wake the other boy again—without touching him this time. When he got no response, he raised his voice and repeated his name, now breathing quickly with anticipation. This time Duo mumbled something incoherent. "Duo, get up!" Heero said loudly, bouncing on the bed a little but still not touching him. This time, Duo's violet eyes flew open and he sat up like a shot had gone off. His mass of cinnamon hair, mostly escaped from the braid, snaked over his shoulder and covered his face. He pushed it away frantically, looking over at Heero.

"What is it? Is the doctor coming?" he asked, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes of sleep.

Heero's sudden excitement plummeted as he realized that Duo was still without his memories. He must have been still half asleep and dreaming when Heero had tried to wake him earlier, just like before when he had sleep-talked about picking out a new fridge. He tried not to let his sudden disappointment show as he smiled over at the other boy, who looked so adorable with his sleepy eyes and tousled hair.

"Not right away, but soon. I just thought you would like to be ready to leave as soon as possible."

Duo grinned broadly, glad to see that Heero was finally on the same page. "That's more like it! I'm ready to go right now!" he said, pushing back the sheets as though he meant to stand.

"Naked?" Heero asked, glancing down at Duo's exposed groin. Duo looked down too and blushed, having forgotten his current state of undress. He pulled the loose sheet back over himself.

"Er, well, maybe not _right_ now. Please tell me you have something for me to wear…"

Heero nodded and got up, going over to the duffle bags Quatre had packed for them. "There's a clean T-shirt and some cut-off sweats. You'd better stick to loose clothes until they take the brace off your ankle."

Duo had almost forgotten about the fracture—he was good at ignoring things he didn't like.

"Whatever, as long as it's more than those damn hospital gowns." He caught the pile of clothes Heero tossed lightly at him, but set them aside as he bit his lip a little nervously. "But, first, do you think you could—you know—help me again?" he said, motioning to the area between his legs in an attempt to indicate that he needed to relieve himself again.

"Of course," Heero said warmly, knowing how much it cost Duo to ask it of him. He stopped rummaging through the bag and went into the bathroom to retrieve one of the fresh bottles stored there. (As for the one they had used for the lab tests, Heero had waited until he was certain that Duo was asleep before he quietly paged a nurse to come and retrieve it.) He went over and helped Duo to stand, repeating their process from the night before. Duo was a little steadier on his feet this time and when he was finished, Heero helped him into a pair of shorts and the sweatpants before setting him back in bed with more care than the night before.

Heero had just resumed packing their belongings when the nurse knocked and entered. She reported that all of Duo's lab work had been done and he was cleared to leave. She gladly handed Heero a small pile of paperwork to fill out, briefing him on how to initial the insurance and discharge papers. He wrote quickly, glancing from time to time at Duo where he sat on the bed, nearly quivering with excitement at his imminent release. As soon as he had finished dotting the 'I's and crossing the 'T's, Heero handed back the papers.

"Congratulations on your recovery, Mr. Yuy-Maxwell," the nurse said sincerely, smiling over at the boy in the bed. "Have a safe trip home."

"Thanks for everything!" Duo replied jovially, clearly having forgiven the nurse any wrongs acted upon him in light of his imminent escape. She waved and left to turn the papers in to the nurse's station. Duo opened his mouth to speak, but Heero cut him off as he turned to stuff the last of their things into his duffle bag.

"Before you ask, yes—we both changed our last names to a hyphenated combination of each," he said, hoping to waylay that particular question. After his disappointment that morning, he didn't feel like discussing the finer points of the relationship Duo had forgotten. He knew it was irrational and that he should be glad Duo was taking an interest, but he just wasn't in the mood at the moment. All he wanted was to get home and get Duo safe and settled.

Duo raised a delicate eyebrow in confusion at Heero's abrupt statement; he suddenly had sounded like the old Heero—the one who had a very short temper. He was surprised to find that it hurt his feelings a little and that in this short amount of time, he had gotten very used to the new, easy-going version of his best friend. "I wasn't going to ask that. It—it's fine that we share a last name. I just wanted to know if you needed help packing."

Heero immediately regretted snapping at his lover. He put down the blanket he was trying to force into the bag and gave Duo his full attention. This time, when he spoke, his voice was softer. "Thanks, but I've got it covered…" he smiled a little and his eyes went out of focus as he remembered something. "You know, I offered to take your name after you accepted my proposal. I knew it meant more to you because you chose it—mine was still just a codename from the war. But, you said that the Yuy name should live on too. The original Heero Yuy had no children, but you said that I had earned the right to bear that name and that it shouldn't be forgotten. So, like usual, we compromised and ended up using them both."

Duo grinned back at him, glad to see Heero wasn't angry with him. "That's a nice story. Although it looks like I got my way in the end," he added jokingly.

Heero laughed. "You'd be surprised how often that tends to happen."

"Why? Because you can't resist my sunny personality?"

"No; I can't resist the urge to shoot you when you complain if you don't get your way often enough."

Duo crossed his arms indignantly (reveling privately in the fact the he was able to do so freely without the constricting IV lines). "You make me sound like a whiney little kid."

Heero took the bait. "That's not a bad description—your words, not mine."

Duo decided to end the banter before he ended up the loser. "Anyways, so if you don't need help, can we leave now? Which way's the exit?"

Heero bit his lip—he'd known he'd have to face this part eventually, but now that it was here, he wished it was already far in the past and they were on their way home. "We're all ready…just waiting for the wheelchair."

"For the…?" Duo repeated, momentarily confused. Then it hit him and Heero was glad he wasn't still hooked up to the heart monitor, because his blood pressure would have skyrocketed and probably set off some sort of alarm. "No WAY! Heero! You can't be serious!"

Heero sighed and came to sit next to Duo on the bed, hoping he could calm the other boy down by the time the nurse arrived with his transportation. "Now, Duo, you know that it's hospital policy to wheel patients out in a chair—whether they need it or not. There's no point in arguing."

"Hospital policy my ass!" Duo roared back, reaching over to pummel a pillow. His Glock fell out from under it and hit the floor with a dull thud but he ignored it as he continued to rant. "You've been flaunting 'hospital policy' this whole time with your continuous visiting hours and your sponge bath and your _gun_"_—_he pointed to the firearm on the tiled floor—"and now you're telling me that you can't bother to get me out of a little public humiliation?"

Heero sighed and bent to retrieve the gun before a nurse saw it, sticking it casually in the waistband at the back of his pants. He had to admit that Duo had a pretty good point but since he did want to stick to this one safety measure, he thought of something else to placate his rowdy husband. "Listen, if you let them wheel you out without making a fuss, I'll take you anywhere you want for breakfast—we can pick up something on the way home."

Duo paused in his ranting, violet eyes narrowed, and Heero could tell he was seriously considering giving in. He took advantage of Duo's moment of silence to help him into the T-shirt he'd brought over for him to wear. Duo let him put the shirt on, but he still had to maintain his stubbornness a little while longer out of pride, so he merely muttered, "_If_ any of my favorite places still exist in this day and age."

Heero had to roll his eyes at the other boy's dramatic display. "For gods' sakes, Duo, it's only been two years. Of course they still exist. Except for that one taco chain that the US government had to shut down due to multiple federal health code violations…"

Duo glared a little while longer, then finally shrugged and let out a long-suffering sigh that signaled his acquiescence. Thankfully, at that moment the nurse returned with the hated wheelchair and Heero took the opportunity to pick Duo up and deposit him firmly in the seat, giving him no chance to argue further. He grabbed the duffle bag and his briefcase and made a final sweep of the room before going over to hold the door for the nurse as she backed Duo's chair out. They were halfway through when Duo suddenly shouted "Wait!"

Heero froze, frightened that Duo had somehow managed to injure himself.

"The daffodils!" Duo said, reaching out furtively for the flowers. "I wanna take them with me."

"But they're wilting…And there are more fresh ones at home," Heero pointed out.

"I want them anyways," Duo replied stubbornly. He moved as if he was going to try and level himself back out of the chair, but Heero jumped into action and hurried around the other side of the bed to grab the glass vase from the nightstand. "I made friends with them and it feels wrong to leave them. Besides, isn't that our vase?" Duo added.

Heero handed it to him slowly, looking down at the vase with narrowed eyes—he had forgotten what the daffodils were being kept in. It was a plain, clear vase made of blue glass. It was thin, only about 2 inches in diameter, with a sturdy base that blossomed into a rim, which was wider at the top than the bottom. Duo had picked it out at a home-decorating store when they had first gone out to look for furniture for their new living quarters. They hadn't been looking long and still lacked all the basic essentials like a kitchen table or a bed, but Duo had spotted the vase and just had to buy it, saying it would bring some color to their home. Heero hadn't understood why he could take three days to decide on a mattress and yet buy a vase on a whim, but, then, he had always liked that about Duo's personality, that he was never altogether predictable.

"Yes, it's ours," he said simply and then went back around to hold the door open once more.

Their little group made it to the front entrance without mishap, and Duo waited beside the nurse on the curb while Heero rushed off to bring the car around. Duo wondered what kind of vehicle Heero drove, but he was shocked when he actually saw the other boy drive up in a huge black monstrosity. The vehicle looked like a square Jeep, but the wheels were too high and no Jeep he had ever seen was made of what his trained eye told him was titanium. It had large lights mounted on the top and on the front grill and an extra tire on the back.

"Have you gone off the deep end, Heero? What _is_ that?" he asked when the other boy came to help him in.

Heero laughed derisively at Duo's question. "_You're_ the crazy one—it's yours. It's for off-roading. We usually only use it when we go camping or for hauling things, but I had it brought in case you needed to lie down or something."

For once, Duo could think of nothing to say as Heero hoisted him up from the chair and set him gently in the passenger's seat. Heero helped him buckle his seatbelt (which looked more like a Gundam flight harness) and handed him up the vase before quickly storing the rest of their gear in the back. They both waved a final 'good-bye' to the nurse and then Heero was off, pulling slowly around the circle drive and out of the visitor's lot.

As they drove, Duo was looking around frantically, trying to piece together where he was and to take in all the unfamiliar sights around him. After about 10 minutes of silent driving, Heero asked Duo what he wanted for breakfast. He mentally congratulated himself for guessing almost word for word what Duo would order when the other boy replied, "A double cheeseburger, fries, and a large chocolate milkshake!" Normally, Heero would have protested such a disgraceful excuse for a meal—especially breakfast, which we all know is the most important meal of the day—but Duo had lost some weight during his few days of unconsciousness and after all he had gone through, the least Heero could so was give him one innutritious meal.

Without being asked, he steered straight to Duo's favorite burger joint near their home. He went through the drive-thru (Duo's Jeep barely scraping under the overhang) and ordered for the both of them—Duo's cheeseburger and fries and a grilled chicken salad for himself along with one vanilla and one chocolate milkshake. He handed Duo his shake to hold and set the large paper bag down between then before paying then heading towards their home.

Duo sat contentedly in the passenger seat, sipping his drink, stealing fries while Heero pretended not to notice, and trying to picture where they lived. Despite his usually vivid imagination, he had a hard time picturing the kind of place where he and Heero would settle down: two newlywed soldiers after a war that nearly destroyed the whole planet who were both still highly dangerous and probably on a number of underground hit lists. As he had told Quatre, although he had been born on and lived in the colonies, Duo could understand himself wanting to live the rest of his life on the Earth that he had helped to save. Life was so much more vibrant there than in outer space with the stimulated weather and imported food. The sky here was real, the climate unpredictable, the air fresh rather than endlessly recycled. The flowers were grown simply because they were nice to look at, rather than for poor decoration or O2 production. Duo was tired of living a life ordered and set on a schedule and would rather be in a place where he could be anything he wanted rather than have a role dictated to him by a colony employment council.

As for his current situation, he knew he lived in a city in America—the country of his ethnic origin—but past that, he wasn't sure about any of the specifics. Did they live in an apartment, a townhome, or a real house? He'd never even been in a real house—unless you counted a cabin safehouse or one of Quatre's secluded condos (which he didn't).

His thoughts were interrupted as Heero cleared his throat. Duo looked over at the other boy, letting the straw fall from between his cool lips. "We're getting close—it's only another two and a half miles." Duo glanced back out the window to see where they were. As he had been daydreaming, the city—large by Earth standards—had fallen behind them and how they were slowly entering the outer rim of residential streets with first apartments, then smaller homes. As they passed even those, the land began to open up, giving way to more forested areas with more space between the houses.

Heero turned abruptly towards what seemed like a solid thicket of bushes and guided the Jeep through a small opening and up an unpaved road lined with thick trees. After a moment, a sudden beeping sound invaded the Jeep, but Heero quickly entered the security code on the dashboard consol to reset the motion detector before it could set off their full alarm and lock-down system.

They went on until they hit a large clearing that nestled a good-sized house and garage. The house was two stories, painted a muted cream color with light blue siding. It was a mix between a picture-perfect family home and a military bunker. There were pretty shutters and flowerboxes on the windows, but there were also steel blinds and bars that could descend at the click of a button. A white railing ran around the outside of the porch and the front door was painted a darker shade of blue that looked welcoming despite the reinforced steel frame. Around the back of the garage—similarly painted and protected— the land fell away into a shallow valley, and Duo could just see the outline of another house across from it, hidden in the trees.

"Here we are," said Heero simply as he pulled up broadside to the front of the house. He sat quietly, waiting for Duo's reaction. They had bought the property as soon as they had seen it during a real estate tour. It was perfectly secluded but still part of an overall neighborhood and only a few miles from the city and regional Preventers HQ where they worked. Many of the agents preferred to stay in the surrounding apartments, happy with the minimal upkeep and low cost, but Heero and Duo had wanted a bit more freedom. Money was not an issue; they had private funds, good salaries and war compensation, plus a number of off-shore accounts with money laundered from various OZ organizations "borrowed" during the war that they still felt no qualms about using. (They also had a safe house that doubled as a summer home in the Caribbean and Heero made a mental note to fill Duo in about it in case of an emergency as soon as he got settled.)

Duo took a deep breath. "Well, it's certainly defensible…" he said.

"We made sure of that," Heero agreed hesitantly. He wanted more of a reaction from Duo and was surprised his lover's laconic response troubled him. Did Duo like the house? Did it seem familiar to him? Had he expected something else and was now disappointed? Heero hadn't anticipated feeling so insecure once they reached their home, but now he found he was more nervous then ever about Duo's lack of memory.

Duo could tell that Heero wanted more from him, so he tried to gather his thoughts. "It's amazing, Heero," he said truthfully. "WAY more than I expected."

"Do you remember it?" Heero couldn't help but ask.

"Not…exactly. It's not familiar, but I still feel safe here. It's homey, I guess is the feeling. I like it," he added, just so he was clear.

Heero smiled; that was all he needed to hear. "Let's go inside," he said and got out of the Jeep so he could walk around to Duo's side and get the door for him.


	8. Glass House

Hehe, this chapter was so fun to write. Curious wary Duo and domestic! Heero. So much fluff, guys. SO MUCH FLUFF.

**Chapter 8: Glass House**

As Heero came to get his door (which the braided boy only allowed because he was too busy taking in his new surroundings) Duo took the opportunity to casually ask about the neighbor's house that he had seen. The boy was apparently unable to stop himself from checking up on his own security, even though he knew that they would not be here if the neighbors had not already been cleared.

Heero chuckled, catching on to exactly what Duo had been asking. He answered as he opened the passenger door and helped Duo out (even Duo had to admit that it was too far to jump in a leg splint, so he allowed it stoically). "It's the Stabler family: Martin, his wife Louise, and their 10-year-old son Ryan. Stabler is also ex-military, a member of the Treize Faction who fought with us during the final battle of A.C. 195. He works at the same place we do now."

Duo wanted to know more details now that the subject of their workplace had been brought up (in fact, he was burning with curiosity) but he knew better than to ask at the moment. Still, in return for the tidbit about them working together in what was possibly some sort of military organization, Duo allowed Heero to carry him into the house without a fuss while he held their food and shakes in his lap. Heero took him right to the kitchen and set him in a cushioned chair at the table, pulling up another for Duo to rest his injured foot on. He got him a glass of water without being asked and sat down across from him.

After Duo handed Heero his salad, the braided boy dug into his own food ravenously, savoring the hot, greasy burger and fries and washing them down with cool ice cream. He asked questions as he ate and Heero answered happily, glad that he was taking an interest. He briefed Duo on the layout of the house and garage, as well as the surrounding property, giving him the clearance codes and telling him where the security cameras and motion detectors were hidden. He told him about their usual routine, adding that tomorrow he had to go into work briefly to fill out some paperwork (promising not to take long), and what they had been doing on their first week off.

"I can still help a little," Duo offered when Heero mentioned the various repairs and household jobs they had saved up to finish over their vacation. "I can't crawl around on the roof or anything, but I can do other stuff. I feel bad wasting all our free time lying around in the hospital."

Heero frowned at the roof comment, but he canted his head, thinking of something Duo could do that was still somewhat restful. After idly pushing a bit of lettuce around with his fork, he looked up and said, "Well, we were thinking about repainting the front porch…You can do most of that while sitting down. The paint is already in the garage."

Duo grinned triumphantly. "That sounds great! I've been wanting to get some fresh air after all that time in one room." He made as if to get up. "When do I start?"

"Later!" Heero said quickly, stopping Duo before he could leave his seat. "You still have to take it easy." He thought quickly of a way to keep Duo out of trouble for a little while longer. "Besides, don't you want me to show you around first?"

"I see where this is going…" Duo said sarcastically, knowing that Heero just wanted to divert his attention before he could go out and injure himself again, but he sat patiently while Heero cleared the table then helped him up. With an arm firmly around Duo's waist, Heero took him around the ground level of the house, showing him the living room, their study which looked more like a computer lab, and the hidden add-on that doubled as a panic room and security bunker complete with live-feed video cameras and a large gun safe. Upstairs, Heero told Duo where the secret door to the attic was, and then took him through a sort of rec room/exercise room in what was once the guest room, which was now complete with an air-hockey table and various video game consoles as well as several work-out machines.

Heero saved their bedroom for last. Duo went in slowly, taking in everything as he looked around with wide violet eyes. A queen-sized bed dominated the room, the head against the side wall so the end swept out into the middle of the room. On either wide of the opposite wall was a pair of dressers separated by a large walk-in closet, which they presumably shared.

There were two identically framed paintings above either dresser. Heero's, closest to the door, was of a bright sunny field with green grass and a sprinkling of yellow and white wildflowers. The sky was a perfect blue color with only one cloud in the distance. Duo's dresser, the one shoved back into the corner of the room, had above it a painting of outer space. It was black, with a few tiny white and yellow stars. In the foreground, blasting away from a planet in the distance, was a gold ship that looked like a cross between and insect and a bird. Its tail was burning in a swirl of yellow fire, the twin side-thrusters blue as they propelled the lone ship out into the sea of stars.

Duo stared at the paintings for a long while, looking back and forth at them one by one. They were almost ethereally beautiful, but also a little disturbing. If an artist could have captured each of his and Heero's souls on a canvas, these two paintings would have been the result. Heero was the shining day, pure and warm and golden with hope and promise. Duo was the opposite: dark, cool, solitary night. But, both paintings were needed to keep a balance in the room and, like the two of them when they went on missions together, they complimented each other perfectly.

"Where…?" Duo finally asked softly, quiet wonder in his voice.

Heero had to smile as he watched Duo looking at the paintings. "They were a wedding present from Quatre and Trowa. They commissioned one of Trowa's talented circus companions to paint them. Even if you don't remember them, they're still stunning, ne?"

Duo nodded wordlessly and after another minute, Heero lead him into the master bathroom. It was here he had intended the tour to end all along, and the former Wing pilot was not disappointed in his prediction. Upon seeing the large, nearly pond-sized Jacuzzi bath, Duo immediately overcame his momentary silence.

"Oh my God! This is officially my favorite room in the house!" he declared, looking at the bath covetously. As Heero had discovered during their relationship, his lover had a propensity towards taking long baths and when they found that the original tub was inadequate in its capacity to hold both of them at the same time, they had splurged and had the Jacuzzi installed.

"That's nothing new," Heero quipped, squeezing the other boy lightly around the middle. He added casually, "Since we're already here, why don't you take a nice long soak? It would do your bruises good and you can have a proper wash after being in the hospital."

Duo tore his gaze away from the tub to glare good-naturedly at Heero as he suddenly realized the other boy had planned this so Duo would be distracted by the bath and not insist on helping around the house quite yet. "Why, you manipulative sonnova-"

"I'll just start the water, then, and run downstairs for something to wrap your leg with so the brace doesn't get wet," Heero interrupted tactfully. Duo sighed in defeat and let Heero help him to sink down to rest on the edge of the bath. There was certainly no way he could say 'no' to the prospect of such a luxury—as his partner had known perfectly well.

"I guess the painting can wait." He sighed as the other boy leaned over to turn on the water and adjust the temperature.

"Those paint cans aren't going anywhere," Heero agreed cheerily. He patted Duo on the shoulder and went down to the kitchen for some Saran wrap. When he returned, he helped Duo wind the plastic around his leg and secured it with tape before leaving him to his bath. "If you need anything, call my cell phone," Heero added, digging Duo's out of his pocket and setting it within easy reach on the carpeted step that lead up to the tub.

"Will do," Duo assured him, and then shooed him out so he could get undressed.

Once Heero was certain that Duo wasn't going to try to sneak back out of the bathroom, he went about doing his own chores without interruption. He retrieved their bags from the Jeep and parked it in the garage before coming back in and unpacking their belongings. He started a load of laundry with their used clothes and Duo's tiger blanket and then went into the study to work more on his case. Commander Une had been bugging him for the last two days about it and (loathe as he was to give in to her demands) he knew it had to get done soon or the mission would have to be scrubbed. Thankfully, as he wasn't physically going on this mission, he could do most of the work at home and send it into the office via e-mail. The rest he could do when he stopped by HQ in the morning.

After about an hour, he went back up to check on Duo and found him dozing in the tub, his head lolling back over the edge, arms resting on the sides in the ultimate pose of relaxation. Heero quickly helped him wash his hair again and then carried Duo to the bed where he continued his impromptu nap for another few hours while Heero finished up some vacuuming, dusted the living room, and, when Duo woke, made lunch from the foodstuffs Quatre had thoughtfully left in the kitchen.

After their late lunch, Duo was reenergized and more than ready to do something other than lie in a bed all day. Reluctantly, Heero set him up out on the front porch with a rolly task chair from the computer room and a gallon of paint and kept careful watch over his lover while he took the opportunity to repair one of the rails that had been kicked loose and then weed-whacked the front lawn.

Duo was more than happy to be helping out and he whistled while he worked, painting with meticulous care. He enjoyed being outside after all his time cooped up in the hospital and the difference it made in him was noticeable. His expression had softened and he didn't have to work as hard to smile. The muscles in his arms and back were loose and his violet eyes were brighter with health and interest in his surroundings. Heero was glad to see the changes being home made in Duo and he consoled himself that leaving the structured care of the hospital had been for the best after all.

Duo had picked a good day to return. Up till then, the climate had been rather hot with temperatures into the 90s, but today the clouds had begun to roll in and hid the worst of the sun so in the shade it was closer to 80 with a nice, light breeze. It was a calming sort of weather with little movement, leaving one with a feeling of stationary stability. Rain was being predicted again, but it was still a day or two off, so right now, it was as perfect as the height of summer could get.

Duo paused in his painting of the second-to-last rail on the right side, sitting up to catch the fullness of a tiny breath of wind in the face. He raised a hand to push back his bangs, leaving an inevitable streak of white paint across his forehead. However, the motion effectively covered a covert glance at Heero, who was in the process of sawing off the remains of a limb that had broken in the storm the night Duo had fallen from the ladder.

The other boy was in his workout clothes; the green tanktop and black bike shorts that had been his standard uniform during the war. His hands were high over his head, back arched as he reached above him to get at the limb. Corded muscles stood out against his golden skin and the hair at the back of his neck was dark with sweat. Duo's glance morphed into an outright stare as he continued to watch his partner work. He couldn't deny that his friend had an incredible body and with that thought came the now somewhat familiar tingle of arousal below his stomach. He found himself wondering in a lazy sort of way what it would be like to be beneath Heero when he looked like that—all sweaty with very little clothing, muscles bunched in his arms as he held himself up over Duo's body. Heero leaning down to kiss him, lowering himself so he was laying on top of Duo, their chests and other parts matching up, rubbing against one another like they had the other night in the hospital bed…

Duo's head snapped up in alarm when a loud crack heralded the final fall of the tree limb Heero had been sawing. Heero stepped easily out of the way and glanced up proudly at his handiwork. He turned to look at Duo with a grin and was surprised to see the other boy's flushed cheeks and concerned expression. Wondering if he was in pain, he jogged over to check on him.

"Is everything ok, Duo?" he asked, trying not to jump to conclusions—after all, it _was_ warm out.

Duo gave him a shaky grin over the top of the railing and quickly went back to his painting, avoiding Heero's earnest blue eyes. "Yup, everything's fine! I'm almost done with this side. How's it look?"

Heero gave the rail a swift appraisal. "It looks great. I'm glad we still had the time to repaint it—it really needed it."

"Gives it that real, homey touch, doesn't it?" Duo agreed, happy with the job he had done despite his injuries. A little bang on the head and a twisted foot wasn't going to stop _him_ from keeping his home looking nice. "Think I'll take a break and then start on the other side," he added, knowing that if he didn't suggest a break, Heero would probably make him take one anyways.

Heero sighed in relief, glad he wasn't going to have to force Duo to rest. "That sounds good. I'm going to go put the saw away and start the grill—how does steak for dinner sound? Quatre left us some in the fridge."

Duo's wide grin was enough of an answer, so Heero went off to get the coals and lighter fluid from the garage and Duo relocated himself to the porch swing that hung in the corner. He hefted his leg up onto the chair he had just vacated and reclined, enjoying the gentle rocking of the swing that reacted to his body's movements. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, cushioned on his hair.

The sounds and smells of the great outdoors engulfed him and he eagerly took them in. The slight breeze ruffled the leaves in the surrounding trees and he could hear another broken limb squeak as it moved—he made a mental note to tell Heero about it in case it was over the roof. Some sort of flowering plant that covered a bit of old wooden fencing from ages past released a rather pleasant smell, sort of like honey and berries combined. Laced through that was the sharp smell of the lighter fluid, followed by acrid smoke and the combination made Duo's stomach growl hungrily, even though lunch had only been a few hours ago.

He hadn't noticed he'd fallen asleep again until he was startled awake as the swing rocked a little when Heero sat down beside him. Duo opened his violet eyes immediately and before he was even aware of having woken up, the smell of freshly grilled beef hit his nose and his stomach rumbled right on cue. He blinked a few times as he adjusted to being awake and looked around to see Heero waving a plate with a large steak and a steaming baked potato under his sensitive nose. The other boy was smiling as he teased him and despite the situation, Duo couldn't help but grin back when he saw it. During the war, the only times Heero had smiled was when he had completed a mission, and then it had been the cold, sardonic leer of a madman, not the soft, teasing smile that he wore now as he temped Duo with his dinner.

"I take it that the food is ready?" Duo asked dryly, his eyes still twinkling with happiness brought on by Heero's lighthearted expression.

"Your powers of deduction have not dulled since the war," Heero replied, handing the plate over. His own was perched on the railing and he leaned forward to retrieve it. "You looked comfortable, so I thought you might like to eat outside. I brought you some iced tea," he added, motioning to the rail on the other side of Duo where there sat a tall glass full of cool amber liquid.

"Such service!" Duo said approvingly as he cut into his steak. It was just right, of course; the meat was cooked exactly how he liked it (slightly rare) and it was smeared with steak sauce. The potato was like-wise perfect; loaded with butter and sour cream and topped with melted cheese and bacon bits. It came as no surprise now that Heero knew how he liked his food, but it was a little bit of a shock to learn that his partner could cook so well. He couldn't remember Heero ever actually cooking while on their missions together—the most he ever did was heat up their vacuum-sealed food packs or shake a protein drink before slurping it down with soldier-like efficiency (Duo had usually gagged on his, as they tended to taste like mashed cardboard—even the chocolate-favored ones).

"When did you become such a good cook?" he asked as he took a large bite of steak. "—not that you aren't perfect at everything else," he added, simply because it was true.

Heero huffed out a little laugh after he swallowed his mouthful of iced tea. "When you have nothing but freeze-dried noodles and a dozen OZ soldiers on your tail, it's hard to get creative with your cooking." He shrugged. "I was never bad at it, and since you don't like working with raw meat, I usually got stuck with the kitchen duty at home. It's not hard to learn to cook well—it's like chemical science or mixing fuel for the Gundams: as long as you follow the recipe, there's not much to it."

Duo rolled his eyes at the Gundam reference but smiled back around a cheekful of potato. "Well, either way, this steak is amazing. _Much_ better than the hospital food. I knew there was a reason I wanted to go home." Heero rolled his eyes back and continued to eat his own well-done steak.

By the time they had finished eating, the sun had begun to set and Heero told Duo to put the paint away and he could finish the porch tomorrow. Duo conceded that by now it was too dark to see, so he replaced the tops of the paint cans and carried the brushes inside to rinse out as Heero gathered up their dishes. They stood side by side at the kitchen sink, pushing the faucet back and forth as they both completed their chores at the same time.

When they were both finished, Heero left the dishes to dry and suggested they watch something on the TV before bed. This was no hardship for Duo, who was exhausted from his day despite the fact that he had been sitting down for most of it. Not to mention that he was entranced by the widescreen plasma TV mounted above the fireplace. He sat beside Heero on the plush couch, bringing his braid over his shoulder so it wouldn't poke him in the back. Heero let him pick an old Earth movie from their large DVD collection and set everything up, handing Duo the remote.

They watched in silence for the first few minutes, both engrossed in the plot as their tired minds could only fixate on one thing at a time by this point. However, about 10 minutes into the movie, Heero heard Duo curse quietly beside him. He looked over to discern what was wrong and saw Duo glaring down at his braid. He was holding it firmly in one hand while the other picked at long streaks of white paint with his fingernails. Heero knew how important Duo's hair was to him and he could immediately tell the other boy was getting upset at the discovery of about a pint of paint in it. For there to be that much, Heero guessed that he must have accidentally dragged it across the finished railing, and the end was completely white from an obvious dip in the open can. Acting quickly to avert a disaster, he sat up and turned to his lover, getting his attention.

"Would you like me to comb the paint out of your hair for you?" he asked gently. He tried to make it sound casual, because sometimes if he acted too attached to Duo's hair, the boy would draw away in an act of self-preservation long ingrained from years of trying to keep his keepsake braid safe. He saw Duo stiffen slightly, but then, in a surprising and intensely gratifying show of trust, he nodded.

"Yeah, if you don't mind. You did a pretty good job with it earlier in the hospital. Should I go get a brush?" he asked. Normally, he didn't let anyone touch his precious hair, but Heero had already proven that he could be trusted with it and Duo was not really in a good position to get the paint out on his own.

Heero grinned. "No need. There's one in here." He bent back and reached over to pull open the drawer of the end table by the couch. He drew out a large hairbrush and showed it to Duo.

The other boy was surprised to see a few long strands of his hair already stuck between the bristles from previous usages. It struck him for a moment that he really _had _lived in this house before—up until now he had still be thinking of himself as a guest in someone else's home, but how else could he explain the hair if he hadn't been here before? He took a deep breath and forced the thought to the back of his mind—right now he was too tired to think about it and more worried about his hair to care. He oriented himself automatically around Heero, who had pulled a leg up to rest on the couch, letting him sit sideways facing Duo. Duo took up a similar position and pushed his braid back over his shoulder so Heero could reach it.

The other boy took it in his hand with exaggerated gentleness and carefully unwound the elastic from the end, snapping it over his own wrist as he held the brush in his teeth. Duo, who was watching out of his peripheral, found himself drawn to the sight. He was captivated by the look of intense focus on his partner's face as he freed his hair: the little crease of skin between his eyebrows, the way his strong white teeth gripped the handle of the brush as he bit down in concentration.

Duo almost gasped when he felt the first gentle tug on his braid, and it was not in pain. Arousal spiked along his scalp and his reaction startled him. He knew it felt good when his hair was brushed, but this was ridiculous! He felt his stomach tighten in excitement and tried to quell the feeling quickly before Heero could notice. Thankfully, as the other boy continued to work on his hair, brushing it in long, placid strokes, he began to relax again, letting himself focus on his partner's movements and nothing outside of them. He was really too tired to become much more excited anyways, and Heero's gentle combing felt too good to make him stop just because his body was having silly reactions. Duo sighed happily and let his head fall forward onto his chest, ignoring the movie completely…

Heero could tell when Duo began to fall asleep and he kept up the steady rhythm of his brushing for a little while longer, making sure every last fleck of paint was gone before setting aside the brush. When he was done, he stood and gently gathered the sleeping boy up in his arms, picking him up off the couch with care. Duo lolled listlessly, completely unaware that anything was happening. Heero carried him up to their room and rolled him tenderly onto the bed. This time, the motion did manage to wake Duo and he looked up blearily.

"Bed time already?" he asked around a yawn.

Heero grinned down at him and couldn't help running a light hand over his gleaming hair where it lay in a silken mass beside him on the bed. "You passed out on the couch halfway through the movie."

Duo fluffed a pillow and put it under his head, the motion clearly unconscious in his sleepy state. "Fine, but I'm getting up early tomorrow to finish the painting, ok?"

"Whatever you say, Duo," Heero replied placatingly. He pulled the top sheet up over his lover and patted his shoulder lightly, even though he really longed to kiss him. "Good-night," he said and headed to the door.

Duo noticed and sat up in confusion. "Aren't you going to sleep in the bed again?" he asked without thinking. His tired mind didn't like the deviation from their established routine and it made him apprehensive.

Heero gave him a pained smile that he hoped Duo couldn't see in the darkness. "No need. I'll be comfortable on the couch. Sleep well," he said and left before he couldn't stop himself from crawling in beside Duo and taking the other boy in his arms.

Duo stared after Heero in the darkened room, unable to decide what to do. He hated to admit it, but he had gotten accustomed to sleeping beside Heero in his hospital bed and he longed to curl up next to the other boy and share his warmth—if only in a one-partner-helping-out-another sort of way. He hadn't had any nightmares since he had insisted (out of politeness) that Heero share the bed with him and he was afraid that without him they would continue to plague him.

However, as much as he wanted to call Heero back, Duo just couldn't make himself do it. He didn't want to invite more "comfort" from his partner than he could handle, nor did he want it to seem like he was teasing Heero or taking advantage of his iron self-control while giving him nothing in return. Besides, his pride just wouldn't allow it. He was a Gundam pilot, for crying out loud. He didn't need to use his partner as some kind of teddy bear or security blanket!

Duo chuckled a little at the mental image of Heero with teddy bear ears mounted in his brown hair and a red bow around his neck. He fluffed his pillow again and lay back down, telling himself that he was fine. He didn't need Heero to sleep with him in _any_ capacity. With that final affirming thought, Duo drifted back to sleep.

He dreamed that he was back in the war and running recon while the other pilots were making their way to a new safehouse. As soon as he had covered an acceptable perimeter, he spiraled back in and started to follow a deer trail through the murky woods in the general direction of the safehouse. He was within a few miles of it and was grinning in anticipation of Quatre's home cooking when the ground suddenly felt out from beneath him. A massive gorge had suddenly been ripped into the earth below him and Duo fell before he even had time to register what had happened. In spite of his training, he screamed as he fell headfirst into the chasm. It wasn't from fear of falling, exactly, but fear of the darkness, which was all he could see of the seemingly bottomless abyss…

Duo gasped as he was pulled awake with a jolt. He was covered in cold sweat and his heart was beating so fast and hard that he was surprised it wasn't thumping its way right out of his heaving chest. He tried to slow it, sucking in breath after breath as he looked around himself frantically, making sure that he was truly awake and safe rather than lying at the bottom of the night-black ravine. The room was still dark, but as there were no windows, he couldn't be sure if it was still late or not. Considering how tired he still felt, he reasoned that he had only slept a few hours.

Holding a hand over his laboring heart, he looked around for a clock. Spying the cell phone Heero had set beside the table for him, _his_ cell phone, apparently, he grabbed it and flipped it open to check the readout. 4:35 AM. Duo groaned and collapsed back onto the bed. It was way too early to get up. He earnestly did not want to go back to sleep and face more of his awful nightmares, but there was no way he could get up now and make it through the day without more rest.

Pondering his dilemma, Duo rolled himself out of bed and padded into the adjoining bathroom. He stopped before the toilet and dropped his pants, letting them sag around his thighs as he relieved himself. When he was done, he went back into the other room and sat on the edge of the bed. What could he do? He remembered thinking earlier that with Heero sleeping beside him, his nightmares didn't seem to come, but how could he fix that now? He couldn't just go downstairs and beg Heero to come up and sleep with him—his pride was still a hissing cat in the back of his brain, fur puffed out in a show of angry reluctance. But he had to do something…

"Just do it Maxwell. Heero will understand. He _is_ your husband, after all," Duo growled under his breath. He took a deep breath and, with his resolve stiffened, he marched out of the room and towards the stairs. He made it down and into the living room without mishap, his soldier's senses helping him maneuver through the darkened, unfamiliar house. He heard Heero's quiet breathing immediately and followed it to the source.

His partner was stretched out on the couch, his body relaxed in sleep but still more tense than an average person, still ready to jump up and fight at a moment's notice. Despite his state of semi-alertness, he looked tranquil in sleep and as soon as Duo saw him, his resolve faltered. He couldn't bring himself to wake Heero when he looked so peaceful lying there like that. Duo grumbled mentally as he reached over to lift the afghan from the back of the couch. How dare Heero sleep so perfectly soundly without a care in the world!

With an annoyed, albeit sleepy, scowl, Duo sat down on the soft rug in front of the couch, determined to at least sleep close-by Heero, hoping that would be enough to deter his pesky nightmares. He curled up under the holy blanket he had borrowed, pillowing his head on his arms and wishing he had thought to grab a real pillow from the bed. After a bit more mental grousing, he closed his eyes again, ready to give sleep one last chance. He was out again within a minute, lulled by the sound of Heero's even breaths.


	9. Puzzle Pieces

Hello again everyone! So, it looks like this might be the second-to-last chapter. Ah! I can't believe this story is almost over! Will Duo ever regain his memory? Will their lives ever go back to normal? Will Heero ever get laid? Find out (maybe) in this next exciting installment!^^

As always, thank you for the favs and find reviews! You are all incredibly awesome.

**Chapter 9: Puzzle Pieces**

Heero awoke in the early morning, intending to shower before he made his run into work—like Duo, he was more than ready to be clean again after all his time in the hospital and the yard work yesterday. He sat up and stretched his long arms above his head, yawning softly. Wanting to go start breakfast before Duo came down, he swung his legs over the side of the couch, but stopped dead before he let them hit the floor. He sat a moment in mild shock before drawing his legs back up to his chest, still staring down at the scene before him.

Duo lay curled up on the plush Persian rug before the sofa, fast asleep. He was breathing gently, still deeply immersed in Dreamland. Heero knew that his partner needed his rest, but he couldn't understand why he was getting it in that particular spot. If he had experienced some sort of nightmare (as Heero knew Duo was prone to both during and sometimes after the war), why hadn't he just woken Heero up? Surely he hadn't sleepwalked? Heero had no prior knowledge of such an incident, but, then, maybe the accident had shaken some latent habit loose?

Or, perhaps, the answer was simpler than that. Even though Duo had been hesitant to initiate physical contact since he had woken up, maybe, like Heero, he still continued to need it regardless of his current state of mind. His conscious brain may not remember their previous intimacy, but his body craved the familiar proximity of Heero's and he had gravitated towards him in the middle of the night. He knew that Duo usually slept uneasily when he was alone and Duo must somehow have felt that. Duo had asked for him in the hospital because he was feeling vulnerable and Heero was a familiar presence, but now he was reverting back to his normal personality—at least, normal in their past.

Familiar with the early days of Duo's borderline obnoxious pride, Heero could understand why the boy hadn't woken him when he came downstairs—he wouldn't want Heero to think he was soft for not being able to sleep alone in a strange place. Heero grinned a little—if that was the case (as he was beginning to suspect once he pieced things together), then his little _baka_ was not so far gone as he had feared. There was still hope yet for him to recover his buried feelings, seeing as they were still very much intact.

Loathe to wake the other boy, no matter why he was there, Heero lay back again and rested his head against the arm of the couch so he could look down on his snoozing love. He had found over their time together that he liked watching his partner sleep—and not just because of the amusing antics he performed while unconscious. He had heard people describing their peacefully sleeping lovers as angels, but Duo (even though he was certainly beautiful enough to fit the description), was different. If he was anything, he was more like a demon or a fallen angel: still heartbreakingly beautiful, but with an edge of danger and endured hardship. Although it pained Heero to think of all that his partner had been through, he had to smile as he remembered Duo's self-appointed nickname: he loved his little God of Death no matter how hard—or sharp—his edges were.

After another fifteen minutes, Heero deemed that he really needed to hit the shower before he ended up late for work. As carefully as was possible, he eased himself up off of the sofa and leapt lightly over the arm rather than chance stepping too near Duo and waking him—or setting him off as he had the other morning when he'd gotten a familiar gun shoved in his face. He breathed a sigh of relief when he made it successfully to the other side of the room without alerting Duo to his movements. Hurrying, he quickly heated up the skillet and put some bacon in to cook while he ran upstairs to take a fast shower and change into his uniform. He knew it wasn't necessary, as he was just stopping by to do his paperwork and liaise with Commander Une, but his security badge was already clipped to his olive shirt, so he threw it on along with a pair of pants—he left his jacket rather than carry it through the 90° heat and arranged his dark green tie as he went back downstairs.

He was only slightly surprised to see that Duo was no longer asleep on the rug and he headed towards the kitchen, guessing that the smell of bacon grease had enticed his husband thither. Sure enough, Duo was standing with his back to Heero, poking at the crisping bacon with a small pair of tongs, acting as though his useless interference would help it cook faster. He turned when he heard Heero enter, but as soon as he saw him, he ducked his head guiltily.

Heero had a split second to decide whether or not it would benefit him to bring up what had happened last night. He wanted to make sure everything was all right with his lover, but he also didn't want to press the issue, as Duo seemed embarrassed about it. Figuring that it was better to keep Duo's pride intact, Heero kept walking towards the fridge to fish out the orange juice. He asked lightly, with his head still buried in the cold recesses, "Is everything ok?" Duo gave him a faint, "Everything's peachy" and he nodded, standing up straight again and bringing the juice with him as he went to retrieve some glasses.

Duo turned back to the bacon, still prodding at it furtively, eyes on what he was doing. He was a little surprised that Heero didn't try to interrogate him about his choice of sleeping places, but he was grateful for whatever made the other boy refrain. He was still touchy about his nightmare and he didn't want to rehash all the details just yet. Not to mention the mortification he'd felt when he'd woken to find that Heero was already up and had seen him on the rug. He had been planning to wake early and sneak back upstairs, but obviously he had overslept and missed his window of opportunity. Curse Heero and his internal clock!

Bored with the bacon, he moved to watch Heero place the glasses of juice on the table and then get a white loaf from the breadbox in order to start making toast. "I don't suppose I need to ask if we have strawberry jam?" Duo wondered out loud, wanting to break the silence.

Heero shot a grin in his direction before focusing on the toaster. "You don't need to ask," he confirmed. "Two pieces?"

"At _least_," Duo said earnestly. He couldn't believe he was still hungry after his huge steak dinner last night, but he figured that was what he got for not eating solid food for 5-plus days.

Breakfast went on without mishap, both boys too busy eating (Heero because he was late and Duo because he was ravenous) to bother with polite conversation. Once he had finished, Heero rose and put his dishes in the sink. He turned to Duo then, a tense look on his face.

"I have to leave now. I will try not to be gone for more than a few hours. You have your cell phone so don't hesitate to call me if you need me," he said, obviously wishing he didn't have to go.

Duo smiled and waved his free hand negligently—the other was still clutching a bacon sandwich. "Don't worry, Heero. I'll be fine! I promise to take it easy until you get back, k?"

Heero gave a terse nod. "Fine. Stay around the house and don't go into the woods—we have traps and motion detectors there. The paint is along the west wall in the garage if you want to finish the railing. Do you need anything..?"

Duo shook his head. "Nope, I'm good to go. Now, leave before you get fired or something!" he said, clearly having had enough of his partner's overprotective attitude. Heero sighed and left; Duo could hear the rattle of keys and then the front door shut and lock from the outside. After a moment an engine revved and then came the sound of tires retreating over the dirt driveway. He let out a long breath and sat back to finish his breakfast.

Heero sped into town, pretending to himself that he missed the posted limit signs—as if he wasn't aware of them already. Once he hit the city proper, he slowed, but his ingrained tendency to follow the rules warred with the immediate urgency he felt to complete his errand quickly in order to return to his injured husband.

When he made it to the underground car park at Preventer's HQ, he realized that he had never been so thankful for his own parking spot close to the elevator. He parked perfectly between the lines, grabbed his satchel from the passenger seat, and exited the car, rushing towards the elevator. Une's office was on the 11th floor and he stopped there first rather than continue on to his office.

Une greeted him with a scowl. "You're late, Agent Yuy-Maxwell."

"And you're a cold-hearted bitch," he answered, responding directly to her casual antagonism.

"Noted," she said, and then transitioned straight into their business. She took a few minutes to catch Heero up on the goings-on he had not been privy to during his extended absence and briefed him on what he needed to know for the new mission he was supposed to be planning. When word had come of Duo's accident, the bulk of the work had been passed off onto another agent whose own mission had been untimely scrubbed, so all Heero was in charge of was what could be done online, away from the office. He had sent all his information to his task team the other day, so he was only here to coordinate with the team leader and the desk-agent to make sure everything was in order and ready to go before they moved out.

Thankfully, Une had assigned Agent Turner as Heero's replacement. Heero knew Turner to be a fully competent man, both in the office and in the field—a trait not every Preventer agent shared. Turner was more that qualified to take over where Heero had left off and he was antsy to get back on a mission after his last had fallen through. The mission itself was fairly straight-forward: a routine sweep of the insurrection hot-spots in an undisclosed section of South Africa followed by a more in-depth investigation into some trouble that was apparently stirring in Nairobi and the Great Rift Valley area of Kenya. Their meeting covered all of this and despite his nagging need to return to Duo, Heero forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

As soon as Heero was out the door, Duo felt a sudden wild urge to run around the house and try to figure out all its secrets. He knew that if he hacked into Heero's computer or even looked through the documents spread out on the desks in the tech room, he'd be able to find out at least a little about his "past". He was dying to know where he worked and what important events had happened in the past two years, especially in regards to the end of the war and his part in it. He knew he had promised Heero (who was obviously hoping that he would remember things before he needed to be told) that he wouldn't pry, but his current state of insecurity was weighing on him.

Knowing that he had to find something to occupy his mind rather than worrying about what he wasn't supposed to know, Duo decided that he may was well finish the painting he had been doing the day before. Heero had told him that the paint was in the garage, so he left the house and headed in the direction of the garage he had seen the other day. He followed a narrow path around the side of the house, taking in all the sights around him. As he rounded the corner, he could again see the shallow valley that sank from the point of their house. The proximity of the residence on the other side still bothered him, but he tried to push that out of his mind also as he walked.

Suddenly, Duo felt an odd tingling run up his leg to his spine as he set foot on the grassy ground. He paused in shock and looked wildly around, wondering what had happened. Then, it hit him as he realized where he must be. There was no ladder still, as Quatre had put it away during his last visit, but there was a streak of muddy ground by the side of the house that had been displaced by his fall in the driving rain.

Duo stepped back quickly and turned his back on the house, hurrying towards the garage. It had almost felt like that sensation people described as when they imagine someone has stepped upon their future grave. That place had nearly been Duo's grave—if he had hit his head at another angle or if the rock had connected with his spine instead, he probably would not have recovered, no matter if he was a Gundam pilot or not. That place frightened him a little and made him uneasy, but at the same time Duo tried to console himself that at least he seemed to remember falling, so his memory might be coming back at least a little. He wished he could remember something happier than his injurious plunge off a ladder, but at this point he would take any sign that his memory was still intact.

At last Duo reached the garage and he tried to shake off his momentary scare. He punched the access code that Heero had told him into a keypad on the door and after giving him a welcoming chirrup, it slid open to let him in. Duo slipped in and quickly made his way towards the west wall, but he stopped as motion-activated lights started to flicker on and he got a better view of the rest of the garage.

It was more like a hanger or a workshop than a normal garage. There were a few cars parked before the sliding doors, ready to be driven, among them the Jeep Heero had picked him up in. There were also a number of cars and even a pair of bikes that were in various states of repair. It seemed that in their free time, he and Heero liked to restore old cars. This fact didn't surprise him (he had always been good with his hands and with their extensive training, it would figure that they would want to put it to use in a time of peace).

What did surprise him was the amount and value of each vehicle, not to mention the costs of repairing and revamping them all. It was amazing, especially for a boy who came from the streets and had grown up with nothing but the clothes on his back, and those probably stolen. He ran his fingers lightly over the glossy hood of a low, bright red Corvette. It was sans a windshield and was in need of rear tires, but the paint job was perfect, down to the meticulous flames that licked the flanks and went up over the sides of the trunk. He wondered whose this one was—his or Heero's?

With a last longing look at the car—maybe Heero would let him come back out here and work on it some more; surely that was a relaxing activity—he went in search of the paint. He found it easily and lugged the half-full can and a few brushes back out to the porch where he had been yesterday. He spent the next hour finishing up the opposite rail from the one he had painted the day before, going slowly and taking his time until Heero returned.

Heero called Duo from the road and asked what he wanted for lunch and if he should pick up anything else while he was out. After a few back-and-forths, they decided on chicken quesadillas for lunch and Heero stopped by the grocery store to buy the ingredients before heading home. By the time he got back, Duo had washed his brushes and replaced the paint and was waiting for Heero in the living room. When Heero walked in, he hopped up to grab some bags from the other boy's hand, freeing it so he could shut the front door behind him.

"Thanks," Heero said, shifting a few bags to this other hand to even out the load. The front looks nice," he added as they went together into the kitchen. He had noticed that Duo had finished all the railing and the new paint did made a radical difference now that it was all fresh and even.

"Yeah, doesn't it? And there's a little paint left, so if there's anything else you want me to touch up…" Duo said suggestively, trying to indicate that he was feeling ready and able to take on any chore that Heero set him to. The other boy chuckled as he hefted the bag up onto the counter for them to sort.

"Not at the moment, but I suppose you saw the cars in the garage..?" That gave Duo the lead-in he had been waiting for and as they unpacked the bags, he enthused about the cars he had seen, asking about the models and years and grilling the other boy for more details. Heero replied readily—talking shop was no hardship for him and it never ceased to make him happy when Duo showed an interest in their lives together. They agreed that maybe tomorrow they would go out and work some on Heero's 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX convertible and bounced paint colors off each other as they prepared lunch.

While the first one was cooking in the quesadilla-maker, Heero told Duo to go into the living room and pick something to watch while they ate. Duo wandered off to find a movie, but was back a minute later, having quickly decided on a film that he had been wanting to see two years ago but that hadn't been out to rent yet. Heero, who was doing the dishes from their food preparation, handed him a towel and Duo fell easily into the rhythm of drying the clean dishes that Heero handed over. They worked in silence for a while, Duo musing about the video and Heero thinking about the upcoming mission and his meeting today at HQ. His thoughts wandered predictably to Duo and he flashed back on the front railing, seeing how much work Duo had put into it to make it look nice. There was still some more paint in the garage for the back porch so maybe tomorrow—

Suddenly, Heero drew in a short breath of surprise as something occurred to him that hadn't before. He dropped the soapy sponge and looked over at Duo, who was staring at him in confusion. "Duo," he asked quickly, getting excited (which was quite out of character). "How did you get into the garage?"

Duo frowned at him, wondering if this was some sort of mind game Heero thought would help him work on retrieving his memories. "I walked in through the door. Sorry, but my fall didn't magically give me super-powers if that's what you're asking. I can't walk through walls or fly now."

Heero shook his head impatiently. "No, I mean, how did you get the door open? Did you have to hack your way in?"

"Uh, no…I punched in the code like a normal person," Duo answered a bit defensively. "Just because I've reverted back to being a full-time Gundam pilot in my head, it doesn't mean I like to break-and-enter into my own garage just for the fun of it."

"That's just it—" Heero went on, reaching out to touch Duo's wrist with his wet hand, trying to focus his attention, "I didn't _give_ you the code. I meant to before I left—I forgot to give it to you with all the codes and the safe house information—but I forgot because I was running late."

It was Duo's turn to shake his head negatively. "No, you gave me the code. You told me where the paint was and…" He trailed off, trying to remember exactly when Heero had told him. He found after a moment that he couldn't. Heero was right—he had told Duo where the paint was, but not how to get in.

"See, Duo? You remembered," Heero said, sounding a tad smug. He gripped the other boy's wrist harder, encouragingly. Even remembering something so small was a break-though and he wanted Duo to understand that, hoping it would help him to be more patient and wait for the rest of his memories to return. He hadn't told his partner about what he had said in his sleep, because he hadn't wanted to open a can of worms, but now Duo could see for himself that he hadn't forgotten everything.

Duo was happy for a moment, but then shrugged glumly at the news. "Yeah, but I didn't mean to; it was automatic. I just punched it in and walked through the door. I didn't have to stop and think, 'Now, what's the code again?' That's not remembering—that's just mechanical. I can remember how to cook quesadillas and tie my shoes too," he pointed out. He really wanted to believe that Heero was right, that his memories were slowly returning, but he knew better than to get his hopes up too soon. What if this was all that he remembered? Just little things that meant nothing?  
Heero could almost read Duo's thoughts. He saw the unhappy look on his love's face and guessed that Duo was trying not to get too worked-up about this small accomplishment, just in case things went bad later on. That had been the pattern in Duo's life for too long before they had won the Eve war. Everything that he loved, everything that he worked for had been taken away so often, that he had eventually stopped looking forward to things because they never worked out the way he wanted them to.

With a sigh, Heero pulled Duo towards him with his hand on his wrist. Duo came instantly, without hesitation. He reached up with his other hand to cup Duo's smooth cheek and leaned in, arching over him. Seeing no panic in Duo, just calm acceptance of his actions, he dipped his head and kissed him softly. Duo kissed him back instinctively but Heero pulled away to speak against his lips.

"You remember this too, don't you?" he whispered.

Duo closed his eyes and leaned against Heero, letting the other boy take his full weight. "Yes," he said, because, thanks to his body's reactions, there was no doubt about that part now, "But I don't remember what it _means_."

Heero breathed out, simply enjoying the moment they were sharing, unwilling to let Duo's sour mood spoil it. "You will," he said confidently. Duo slipped his arms around him and rested his head on Heero's shoulder. Heero put his hand in Duo's hair, massaging the back of his neck gently with his fingertips. They stayed like that for a while, just breathing quietly, taking comfort in one another's embrace amidst the turmoil that they had both been feeling recently.

It made things easier, put things into a clearer perspective just standing there in their warm kitchen with no distractions: Duo knew that Heero would always be there to protect him, whether or not he got his memories back; even if he couldn't remember things, he knew Heero would stick with him while he started over. Heero was just glad to have his lover safe and healthy and back in his arms where he belonged. The rest of their troubles and anxieties melted away and they stayed locked together for long minutes, until the insistent beeping of the quesadilla-maker alerted them again to the world outside themselves.

Heero disengaged from the embrace to reach out and turn the handle over to cook the underside of his quesadilla, but Duo let go too and moved over to the table to prepare his own concoction to be ready when Heero's was done cooking. Heero poured them drinks and brought the glasses and some napkins out to the coffee table. After his was done, he set Duo's in the maker and they waited while it cooked, standing side-by-side, but not talking.

When both were finally ready, Heero took both their plates and led the way into the living room. Duo queued up the movie and they ate in contented silence as they watched the video that they had watched dozens of times before. Actually Heero found it rather amusing to witness Duo's reactions to certain parts that he knew were coming but his partner was unaware of. He had chosen a suspenseful movie and the looks that appeared on Duo's face made Heero himself smile.

After lunch, the two of them made use of the weight room, Heero working out on the various bits of equipment and Duo hobbling around the foosball table, intermittently kicking penalties against himself and complaining to Heero that his leg felt fine and he should get his brace taken off. Heero disagreed, saying he had an appointment for an x-ray the next day and had to wait until then.

Afterwards, Duo took another long soak/nap in the tub and after showering in the spare bathroom, Heero cleaned up the house and worked on some bills that needed his attention. They reconvened in the kitchen to lazily make soup for dinner and played cards at the table while they waited for it to cook, using chopped carrot slices and spare onion rings as chips. Duo ended up winning and dumped his spoils into the crock-pot to simmer before washing his hands and helping to set the table. They ate in the kitchen this time, having a nice quiet meal, complete with some lighted candles Duo had found in a drawer and lit under one of the burners on the stove.

It was getting late by the time they finished and they moved their cards and after-dinner tea into the living room. Duo sat on the couch in the corner and Heero sat opposite him. At first Heero noticed that Duo looked a little offended at his lack of proximity, so he slowly and carefully leaned to the side, ending up lying across the couch with his head in Duo's lap. Duo pretended not to notice, sipping his tea calmly as he flipped through infomercials. Heero lay still, glad that Duo hadn't reacted negatively but as yet unsure of how long he could take the physical contact. Duo finally found a channel that suited him and casually reached down to put his fingers in Heero's messy hair, tangling them in the warm strands of chocolate. Heero sighed at the familiar motion and let himself relax, enjoying the feeling of Duo's cool fingers. He was so content and Duo had been comfortable earlier when they had talked about their relationship while making lunch, that Heero couldn't help but whisper "Aishiteiru" to his partner.

Duo looked down away from the TV screen, his eyes meeting Heero's. His own violet eyes were inquisitive, searching, but he didn't seem panicked, Heero was happy to note. Heero breathed in. "Does it bother you to hear me say it?" he asked curiously. Heero knew he should just let things progress naturally, but he couldn't help prodding and trying to see what Duo would do, always hoping for the answers he wanted.

The other boy shook his head, still sifting his fingers through Heero's hair, relaxed and confident. "No, I love you too. You're family to me, in whatever capacity, and I would be lying if I said I didn't love you. It's just…" He bit his lip, thinking of how he wanted to say what he was trying to tell Heero, "I'm not sure _how_ I love you, yanno? It's not that I don't want to be your…_husband_, it's just a big leap for me in my head. To go from only being friends to being all…romantic."

Heero smiled up at him ruefully. "I understand, Duo. I'm sorry that I keep pushing you. I know I should just let you try to get your memories back normally, but…"

"But you wouldn't be Heero if you didn't try everything you could to do it before then," Duo said with a chuckle. He ruffled the other boy's hair. "I know you. I'm like your mission now. Operation: Rescue Duo's Memories." He sighed, becoming serious. "I guess I can only imagine how lonely it must be for you, to go from having me be what I was to you, and then going back to just being friends and me getting all spastic when you try to—you know."

Heero, latching onto Duo's joking attitude, asked, "When I try to what, Duo?"

His partner gave him a withering glare and stopped petting his hair. "Don't play dumb with me, Yuy. You know what I meant."

The other boy sat up, facing Duo with his knees bent on the cushions, his face suddenly only a few inches away from Duo's. "You mean, when I try to _kiss_ you?" he offered, letting his tone drop an octave, knowing that Duo loved it when his voice got deeper during sex. The present Duo's breath caught and he blinked at Heero from a breath away. Caught up in the moment, still teasing, Heero moved closer, pretending that he was going to kiss Duo's lips before he suddenly swooped in and licked his nose.

Duo froze in shock, eyes wide with alarm, but a second later he grinned widely and laughed, the tension draining back out of his body. Heero smiled back, his dark eyes flashing with humor. He was rather proud of the little plan he'd thought up while he'd been lying there. He had discovered that as long as Duo didn't get frightened by the serious aspects of their relationship but focused on the fun parts, he could tolerate Heero's advances. By keeping things light, Heero was able to get closer to Duo without having him panic and remember that he shouldn't be doing such things with his best friend.

The braided boy, never one to lose what was clearly a challenge, decided that two could play at Heero's game and reached up to touch his friend's jaw, turning his face so he could sit up and return the lick to Heero's cheek. Heero caught his hand and wrenched it playfully away from his face so he could run his tongue up Duo's palm, leaving a wet trail from the heel his hand up to the tip of his middle finger. Duo transferred the wetness to the back of Heero's neck as he used his hand to pull Heero forward so he could nip at his throat. Heero gasped and arched against him unexpectedly and Duo guessed that that must have been a sensitive spot.

Suddenly Heero was again in the "kiss zone" and this time the humor faded from his face as he looked at Duo. Duo could feel his partner's gaze on his lips and his heartbeat sped up as his cheeks flushed. Heero saw Duo's reaction and ached to kiss him for real. He raised his eyebrows questioningly and Duo continued to stare back at him for a long moment.

Heero was about to pull away and let things stay as they were, when he felt Duo's hand, still damp on the back of his neck, guide him closer. Duo was looking at him strangely, almost as though he was in a trance and his hand was moving on its own while he watched in awe. This time he took the initiative and very carefully, he leaned up to touch his lips to Heero's. Heero remained passive, letting Duo do as he liked. He watched the other boy's eyes flutter closed and then he felt his lover's slightly smaller body melt against his own.

Duo broke the kiss after a moment, but started another just as quickly and soon he was kissing Heero with abandon as his other hand came up to touch Heero's chest, running his fingers over his muscles. Heero let Duo lead at first, but when he pushed back a little, he felt Duo surrender to him as he had in the hospital and he took advantage of that to press the braided boy back against the arm of the couch. Duo inched back readily and when Heero moved to kneel between his open legs, he brought them up automatically to cradle his friend's hips.

Again, Heero held himself back, letting Duo decide if and when to elevate their kissing to the next level, but when he felt Duo's tongue swipe invitingly across his lips and teeth, he returned the favor gamely, thrusting his own tongue into Duo's mouth and exploring happily. Duo's chest heaved against his own as his breathing and heart rate increased, but at no time did he try to pull away and end their activities as he had previously.

It was Heero who finally had to start reining himself in, knowing that as willing as Duo seemed now, he was not ready to take the next step in their "new" relationship. That, and it was getting late and he knew Duo must be tired after his long day so he didn't want to overtax him. He gradually slowed his attack, moving on to place gentle kisses along Duo's jaw and neck, just letting the other boy enjoy being touched without participating as much. Duo initially made a soft complaining noise when he slowed down, but Heero put a finger to his lover's full, wet lips.

"Just let me…" he whispered, and continued what he was doing. Eventually Heero felt the braided boy's breathing decelerate and after a few more minutes of his tender ministrations, he stopped altogether. He rolled back off of Duo, wedging himself between the other boy and the back of the couch.

Duo turned his head to look at him, a sleepy, content look on his face. "Mmthat was a fun game…can we play it again tomorrow?" he asked, sounding like a tired child. Heero chuckled.

"Sure, Duo. I may even let you win," he quipped. "But right now, I think it's somebody's bedtime." He sat up and deftly got up without disturbing the other boy. He took the remote and turned off the TV before bending to gather Duo up into his arms. Duo groaned a little in protest, but once he was fully in Heero's arms, he sighed sleepily and closed his eyes, letting his head roll to rest against his friend's shoulder. Heero smiled to himself as he carried the other boy up to their bedroom.

Duo let Heero carry them up the stairs again, pretending to still be asleep because that way he could remain in the warmth of the other boy's arms without having to ask for it. He felt Heero roll him onto the bed, transferring him softly to the mattress. Heero pulled a light blanket up over him and then ghosted his fingers over his rounded cheekbone. Duo sighed happily, not wanting this comfortable feeling to go away.

Heero turned to leave, resigned to sleeping on the couch again, but he nearly jumped in surprise when he heard his lover's raspy voice behind him say "Heero?" He pivoted quickly and returned to Duo's side, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, Duo? Do you need something?" He heard Duo swallow and then the other boy whispered, "You." Heero froze in surprise, unsure of how to respond as sudden thoughts rushed through his mind as he tried to interpret his lover's answer.

Duo realized what he had said and how it might sound a moment too late. He sighed and pushed himself up on his elbow to look into Heero's eyes. "I mean, I don't want to sleep alone. _And_ I don't want to break my neck sneaking back downstairs to sleep on the rug again," he added with a tiny laugh, trying to make a joke out of his behavior from the other night.

"I don't think I can…you know, _do_ anything else with you right now, but I feel better when I'm with you and I say that falling off a ladder entitles me to being selfish enough to ask you this even though I know it must be torture for you…" He said everything in a jumbled rush, afraid that if he paused, he would chicken out again and end up sleeping alone, accompanied by only his nightmares.

Heero smiled and reached out to run his hand lightly down Duo's braid. "Duo, every moment I'm with you is so far from torture. It's the opposite. I love you; even if I can never touch you the way I used to, I will still want to be near you in any way I can. I'm addicted to you and I don't care how it hurts to be close to you; it is still better than the hell I would be in without you." He was aware that as the words left his mouth they sounded incredibly mushy, but they were the truth and he didn't want to take them back, especially if it helped Duo to understand the situation he was in and how he felt about it.

Duo ducked his head, but Heero reached out to bring it back up with a finger under his chin. His eyes widened when he saw a tear making its way down Duo's cheek. Duo chuckled again and swiped his hand briskly across his face. "Sorry, but that's kinda the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

Heero leaned forward to hug him and whispered in his ear, "It's not the last—that's only the beginning, so get used to it." He squeezed Duo again and then got up abruptly. " I'll be right back." Duo blinked in surprise at the other boy's sudden movement but watched with avid curiosity as Heero went to open the closet and then began to rummage over his head for something—his side was fairly clean, but Duo's was a cluttered mass of boxes and various items and accessories.

Heero finally seemed to find what he was looking for and brought down a medium-sized moving box that he sat on the floor. He bent to retrieve something and set what looked like a large binder on the side of his dresser. Duo then watched as he disappeared into the bathroom and then came back out a few minutes later in pyjama pants, sans a shirt. Heero got the book and then came over to sit next to Duo on the bed. He handed Duo the binder with a smile and indicated that he should open it.

Duo gasped in surprise and delight when he did. It turned out to be a photo album, full of pictures of them and their friends, mostly the other Gundam pilots and people they had fought with during the war. Heero settled himself under the comforter as he watched Duo flip through the photos, pointing out the vacation they had taken last year with the other three boys and Relena's Christmas Ball they had been forced to attend last December.

Duo paused when he got to the wedding photos, but he made himself look at them, taking in the details of what was one of his most important memories. It looked to have been a small outside ceremony with just their immediate friends. The landscape was unfamiliar, but the people were what stood out. Many of the pictures were candid and looked professional—Heero mentioned that Trowa's friend, the one who had painted their twin pictures, had also been the wedding photographer. The one he liked best was one where neither of them were looking at the camera, but rather totally engrossed in each other. At a table by themselves, Heero was leaning in to whisper something private in Duo's ear, and Duo was laughing while he held a wineglass that threatened any moment to spill into his new husband's lap.

The present Duo laughed a little too. "What are you saying?" he asked Heero. The other boy glanced down at the picture and grinned.

"I think we were discussing how upset Wufei was going to be when he found out that we switched cars with him and _his_ was the one getting covered in paint and toilet paper outside."

"Was he mad?" Duo asked, savoring the mental image of the Chinese boy jumping up and down in outrage.

Heero shrugged casually. "We didn't stay to find out. We snuck out of the reception later and went straight to our honeymoon." He reached out to flip the page, showing a secluded jungle bungalow nestled deep within a forest of green leaves. "We spent two weeks in South America where we still keep the cabin as a safe house. You loved the rainforest…" Among pictures of the two of them posing in hiking clothes, there was one that obviously had been taken without Duo's notice. It was him from the back, sitting naked on a rock that overlooked the drop of a large waterfall. Most of his body was shrouded in mist and the muscles and bones in his back shone as he paused in the motion of wringing out his wet hair, probably after a swim in the river below.

They went through the rest of the pictures, Duo turning the pages while Heero held the book in his lap. Soon, though, Duo's eyelids began to droop again and he shamelessly snuggled up to Heero, resting his head on the other boy's chest. Heero smiled warmly and put down the album, freeing his hand to curl it around Duo as he slept. He was quick to succumb to sleep as well and drifted off with his head resting next to Duo's on the pillow.


	10. Safe As Houses

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting-got distracted by other stuff, mainly a new GW story. Well, here's the end of this one. What can I say? It's my first full-length GW story and I'm pretty fond of it. Thank you all for your kind reviews and stick around for the epilogue!

**Chapter 10: Safe as Houses**

The next day started out slow, with both boys still comfortably occupying their bed in the morning which, as Heero pointed out to himself later on, was a real milestone in their relationship. The former Wing pilot awoke first and got up quietly to start breakfast, not wanting to disturb Duo's sleep. They met in the kitchen and Duo squeezed oranges for juice while Heero saw to making pancakes from scratch. As they stood side by side, cleaning up after their meal, Heero commented that if Duo thought he was ready, they could go back to the hospital and see about getting his cast taken off.

Duo, of course, insisted that he felt "fine and dandy" and asked why they couldn't just do it at home, but Heero stood firm about having him do it properly. Duo was too excited about the prospect of having his leg fully functional to argue for long and consented to returning to the hospital. Heero called and the nurse he talked to said it was a slow day and they could fit Duo in as early as he could come. Duo, jubilant, hobbled back up the stairs to change into something fresh while Heero loaded the dishwasher.

"You know," Duo said cheerily as Heero steered down the drive in his dark blue Mustang convertible "I could get used to this." He was smiling, carelessly letting the wind play with his bangs, wearing the stylish sunglasses that he'd found while digging through the glove compartment.

Heero chuckled at his husband's look. "Get used to having me chauffer you around in nice cars, cook you meals, and carry you to bed?"

Duo turned to grin at him, bouncing in the seat. "You bet! This is the life!" Heero suspected that the nice weather was what was causing Duo's buoyant personality to surface but he welcomed it if it meant that the other boy was focusing on a positive outlook on his life.

"Although," Duo added as he readjusted his seatbelt when it tried to choke him after he turned back around, "Once I get this brace off, I can do a little of my own carrying." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Duo realized their probable sexual connotation and he blushed a little, looking quickly out his window at the trees whooshing past. Heero let out a loud laugh of amusement and focused on the road.

The round trip to and from the hospital, including the time it took for the doctor to remove Duo's cast and for them to visit the physical therapy center for recuperation instructions totaled about 2.5 hours. Duo was more than ready to say 'good-bye' to the hospital for what was hopefully the last time as they made their way back home and he found himself grinning at the mention of 'home'. The home he shared with Heero.

Before leaving town, the two boys split up briefly, Duo into the grocery store to stock up on foodstuffs for the next couple of days and Heero going to retrieve their mail from their post office box and get a thing or two at the convenience store. Once finished, Heero drove them back to the house where they shared the job of hauling all their groceries inside. Heero, who had taken all the food bags, made his way directly into the kitchen to deposit their purchases in the fridge. Duo, who had a couple sacks of household items like toilet paper and Kleenex, cut through the living room to carry his things to their proper place in the bathroom upstairs.

It took Heero some time to arrange everything to his liking in the kitchen and once he was finished, he looked around for Duo to ask him if he was hungry enough to start lunch yet. To his surprise, Heero didn't see the other boy around. It was odd for Duo to not be with him when they were alone in the house and he should have had time by now to complete his task of putting the groceries away. Immediately, Heero's heart flipped in panic, thinking that maybe they had taken Duo's leg brace off too soon after all and he had somehow fallen and hurt himself upstairs. Thinking to go to his aid, Heero hurried out of the kitchen and followed Duo's path through the living room to the stairs.

He got halfway there before he realized that Duo was sitting on the couch, the still-full supermarket bags lying haphazardly on the floor as though they'd been dropped. In the boy's lap was a pile of paper, letters and small packages that Heero had taken from their post office box earlier and had stuffed into one of the paper bags in the backseat. Duo must have been rummaging through the bags on his way upstairs and had come across the mail that he had been too curious to resist opening. On the top of the pile was a pastel blue envelope from which Duo had taken the card that was still in his hands.

He looked up at Heero when the other boy came over to stare down at him questioningly. His eyes were red again and he looked tired and pale, almost as drained as he had been back in the hospital. "You didn't tell me…" he said softly. His tone wasn't accusatory; in fact, it sounded hollow and strange like he was trying to hold back some strong emotion. "You never said that today was our anniversary."

Heero closed his eyes in a moment of painful realization and raked a hand through his messy chocolate hair. He sighed and took a seat next to Duo where he reached out and softly drew the card into his own lap to read it. It was from Hilde and her husband, wishing "the lovebirds" love and luck on their 2nd anniversary. "I guess Quatre didn't tell her about your condition," Heero mused. "He said he thought it best to not spread the word until we knew for certain if you would…fully recover."

He sighed again and gave Duo back the card; the other boy took it and set it carefully back into the envelope. Heero touched his arm lightly in sympathy. "I was hoping that you would remember soon so that I wouldn't have to tell you. I'm sorry I kept it from you, but I thought it was better not to put too much pressure on you right away." He still thought he was right, but now that Duo knew, Heero hoped he wouldn't he angry that he had hidden the fact that their anniversary was today.

Duo laid the rest of the mail aside and drew his legs up onto the couch to put his arms around them. He rested his cheek on his knees and looked over at Heero. "I guess I should have known. Why else would be both take our vacations from…where_ever _together? Makes sense…" His voice sounded small and far away.

Heero reached out to gently brush the boy's bangs away from his violet eyes. "You're right, that's why we took our vacation now. But," he added firmly, looking down to catch Duo's eyes with his own, "That doesn't change anything now. I don't expect anything from you—"

"Yes, you _do_!" Duo burst out, his head flashing up fast as a snake's. "You try to hide it and I appreciate that, but I know you want more. And I want to give it to you! I wish I could! I wish I—" he sobbed and buried his face against his sweats again. "I wish I could, Heero," he mumbled. Heero sat there, unsure of how to comfort his love. He wanted to hug Duo and make all his pain go away, but he didn't want the other boy to take his touch the wrong way.

Duo was right—he _did_ want more—but he wasn't going to push for it. He could be patient—he could wait forever as long as Duo was happy and safe. He had steeled himself to the possibility that Duo might never get his memories back and might never return Heero's affections as he once had, but Heero could deal with that. He had to. Right now, though, Duo was hurting and Heero didn't know how to make it stop. He hesitated, but after a few moments of watching Duo sob against his knees, he reached out with the intention of bringing Duo closer to comfort him.

Suddenly, Duo looked back up at him wildly. His face was blotchy now, red and wet from crying, but still that same beautiful face that Heero had fallen in love with years ago. He tried to say something comforting, but Duo cut him off. "I can," he said simply. Heero blinked in confusion, having lost the train of their conversation. Duo repeated himself and then carried on, his voice growing with conviction the longer he spoke. "I _can_ give you what you want. _I_'m the only thing holding myself back. There's nothing else stopping me. We're married and we've obviously done it before, so why not? I love you and if that will make you happy, then I can do it." He ended his statement proudly, but it still sounded as though he was trying to convince himself of the truth of his words more than Heero.

Heero, in the meantime, was shocked by this sudden turn of events and tried to rally his thoughts quickly while still unsure of what his lover was saying. "Duo, what? What are you talking about?"

Duo sat up and wiped at his eyes a little. Saying all that had been rather cathartic, as if by expressing his wishes out loud he was somehow purging himself of his fears and lingering anxieties about his relationship with Heero and the other boy's unspoken expectations that he had been trying to live up to while at the same time trying to piece together his broken life. By saying everything and hearing it in his own words, it made everything he'd been worried about seem smaller and less terrifying.

He was right—if Heero craved sex and intimacy with him so much and they had done it before, why _couldn't_ he just let himself go and do what made his partner happy? It all still seemed like an episode out of the _Twilight Zone_ to him, but like Heero had said before, he couldn't deny his body's reactions to things—it remembered what had happened before, even if his mind didn't. He had never before entertained thoughts of sex with another man, let alone Heero, but if his future self clearly indulged in it, maybe he was missing out on something? And, really, how could anything that involved being close to Heero be bad? He trusted the other boy, didn't he? He had already said that he loved him as a friend, so wasn't this just the next step? Ultimately, what was he afraid of?

The answer was nothing. Sure the prospect of actually being that intimate with Heero was a little daunting and he was still fearful that his memories might never resurface, but on the flip side, what if this was the one thing that would help him remember, the one thing they hadn't tried yet? What if he forever denied himself this once chance to know if this is what he had been missing? In a moment of clarity, Duo decided that it was too much of a risk not to take it. The added bonus of being able to give Heero what he deserved, especially on their anniversary, was what helped him decide.

"I'm saying that I want to have sex with you," he explained. "I wanna be close to you and give you what you want." He wanted to tell Heero everything that was going though his mind, but it was too much to put into words.

Heero, instead of looking happy as Duo expected, frowned a little and drew back. "Is this about the anniversary card? I told you Duo, I don't want you to feel obligated to do something you don't want to just to please me. That's not what I want." Of course, it killed him to say that because inside it was exactly what he wanted, but he knew it was wrong and he would not put Duo through something they would both ended up hating themselves for, just so he could have brief gratification.

Duo frowned too and crossed his arms over his legs aggressively. "What the hell, Heero? First you're all over me and now you don't want to have sex because you think I'm doing it out of pity? Do you really think I would do something like that?" It hurt that Heero would assume that—didn't he know Duo at all?

Heero strived to remain calm because he didn't want to argue with Duo in his present condition. "I don't know what to think," he said honestly, stalling until he could figure out what was going on, "I've apologized for my actions and I've tried to hold myself back, but I won't deny that I've missed being close to you. Until now, though, every time I've tried to show that desire, you ended up pushing me away. I understand you're having trouble adjusting and I told you that I was happy just being friends with you if that's what you wanted. What changed?"

"Nothing!" said Duo, getting frustrated. He was afraid that if Heero didn't take him up on his offer right now, he would be too uncomfortable to ever make it again. He didn't want to lose this chance—not with so much riding on it. "Or, maybe me, I guess. Look, it doesn't matter. It is what it is: I changed my mind and I think we should have sex. I thought you would be happy about that." He couldn't see why Heero wasn't thrilled that he was finally giving in to his advances. Was he too late? Had Heero decided that he wasn't worth the chase after all?

Heero shook his head, not wanting to hear Duo say this because he knew what would happen if he gave in while Duo was in this emotional state. They'd both regret it later and he didn't want Duo to resent him. "You're upset; you don't know what you're asking for."

That's when Duo's stubbornness kicked in full-force. He was incredibly susceptible to reverse psychology—anything someone told him not to do, he did it, just to be contrary. Now Heero was telling him that after all his mental work sorting things out that he didn't want to sleep with him anymore? That was unacceptable. "I know exactly what I'm saying, thank you very much," he retorted. "I'm saying that you and I are going to do the nasty and there's nothing you can say to get out of it, Yuy."

Heero snorted derisively, temper rising—he didn't like being given orders any more. "This is ridiculous," he said, standing. Maybe if he gave Duo some time to cool down and think about things… "That card has clearly upset you and now you're trying to get back at me for not telling you what day it is."

Duo stood too, eyes narrow and dangerous, fists clenched at his sides to keep from lashing out at his best friend. "Bullshit, Heero! I've finally come to the revelation that I _want_ to be your husband with all that it entails and now you're _rejecting_ me!"

"I'm not rejecting you!" Heero said in exasperation.

"Sounds like it to me!"

Heero heaved a frustrated breath and sat back down, effectively ending the argument before it could escalate further. "Fine. If you want to celebrate our anniversary the way we would have normally, I won't stop you. But you can't back out when things get uncomfortable this time," he said firmly. He had learned through long exposure to the other boy that if he gave in early and let Duo have his way, the other boy would usually give up his high ground later on when he realized that what he had been arguing for wasn't always what he really wanted.

Heero was not above using reverse psychology on his lover, especially when it was in his best interest. He was pretty confident that Duo would back out when things got heavier between them and Heero would let him, at which point they could get back to the way things had been before Duo made his ludicrous pronouncement.

"Fine," Duo repeated, clearly happy that he had won this round. To prove his point, Duo swiped up the card and marched over to prop it up on the mantle of the fireplace as a reminder to Heero of his acquiescence. Heero rolled his eyes at his lover's actions, but it was so good to have Duo behaving normally (well, normal for Duo anyways) that he couldn't be angry with him. Instead, he took one of the bags of groceries that Duo was supposed to have been putting away and went upstairs to do so. Perfectly cheerful again now that he felt he had gotten the upper hand, Duo grabbed the other and followed him.

The two of them spent the rest of the day in lazy activities, simply enjoying the peace and each other's company. There was still housework to be done that had been put off by Duo's unforeseen sojourn in the intensive care unit, but they decided that it could wait until next time they had a few days off together. Instead, they indulged in a long game of Monopoly (which Heero eventually won) broken only by a break for lunch, followed by a few marathon hours of a syndicated TV show that they had been watching earlier in the week (thankfully the marathon started from the beginning so Duo didn't need catching up), and a few rounds of two-player games on the Playstation to finish things off.

As evening began to creep up on them, Duo found himself beginning to feel anxious about the night ahead. He knew that his decision to let Heero sleep with him had probably been a little rash, but he stuck by his argument stoically and tried not to let on that he was nervous. When Heero reduced his last zombie to a pile of rotting goo and stood up from where they had been sitting against the coffee table, Duo felt his stomach drop. He looked up at his friend apprehensively, waiting to hear him declare that he was ready to get it on.

Instead, Heero merely told him that he was going to check on the roast they had put in the oven after lunch and that it should be ready in another 15 minutes. Duo breathed a sigh of relief and, rather than help Heero in the kitchen, he excused himself to go take a shower, hoping that the warm water would help soothe his nerves. He also felt the urge to be clean for the night ahead and make himself as presentable as possible for his—he gulped to even think it to himself—_husband_. He scrubbed himself all over, making his skin blush pink with the effort, and shampooed his hair twice to make sure the pleasant scent of lavender stuck. Once out of the water, he rung it out as much as he could and braided it wet so it would stay smooth. He found a small bottle of cologne with his name on it and with shaking hands dabbed it under his neck.

To keep from having to go back and face Heero in the kitchen, he took his time exploring the bathroom, peeking into all the drawers and cupboards. In a small box tucked back into one of the top drawers, he discovered a make-up kit in a purple bag. He knew that Heero would never wear make-up, so he assumed it had to be his. Deciding that he may as well go all-out if he wanted to make this evening special for Heero (even if he, himself, was becoming more terrified of it by the second), he opened the kohl and carefully traced a line around his eyes before adding a little dark purple eye shadow.

Once he finally made it back into the bedroom, he found a silky dress shirt to match and tucked himself into some tight black club pants. He left the top few buttons of the shirt open so his gold cross twinkled and drew the eye to his smooth pale chest—even if he wasn't sure he was gay, he still knew how to make himself look hott and desirable. Deciding to forego shoes as he was staying inside, Duo took a last deep breath and left the bedroom, walking slowly back down to the kitchen.

The look the Heero gave him when he walked into the brightly-lit room was one that at once set his heart beating quickly in anticipation and his stomach quelling in fear. Heero looked awed and hungry at the same time, in his eyes a mixture of surprise and lust. It gratified Duo to know that he could make Heero look at him like that, but it didn't make things any less scary.

"How's dinner coming?" he asked as casually as possible, as though nothing whatsoever was strange about the way Heero was staring at him.

Heero set down the wooden spoon he'd been stirring with before he dropped it and said, "Fine." His dark eyes swept over Duo's body again and he stuck his hands in his pockets as though to stop himself from reaching out to his lover. He looked down at his flour-sprinkled T-shirt and added, "The timer should go off in a few minutes. I'm going to go change." Duo nodded and stepped aside so Heero could exit the kitchen. He went over to continue stirring the gravy, smiling a little to himself. He focused on a positive outlook for the evening, secretly anticipating seeing Heero all decked-out as well.

He didn't have to wait long. Heero returned a minute after the timer went off and entered the kitchen just as Duo was setting their roast-and-veggies filled plates on the table. He looked up through his bangs and his breath caught in his throat when he saw his best friend. Heero was still wearing jeans, but this pair was dark and tighter, clearly not an everyday pair. Over them he wore, untucked, a cerulean short-sleeve dress shirt with a white wife-beater underneath. He'd swapped his watch for a black leather band around his wrist; the only other ornamentation was his wedding band on his left hand. This was—to Duo's memory—his first time seeing his partner in anything but sweats or spandex and to his surprise his mouth went dry and things low in his body clenched in anticipation. Suddenly, the prospect of letting Heero have sex with him was not quite so daunting; if he found Heero this attractive with his clothes _on_, how much better would he look with them _off_?

Realizing that he was staring, Duo cleared his throat and set the plates down carefully. "Dinner's ready," he said.

"It looks good," Heero replied and came around to help him pour the gravy into a boat for the table. Duo took the rolls from the oven and transferred them to the plates that Heero held ready. Together, they sat down and after a fleeting look at one another, began to eat.

The two of them kept up a round of light conversation during the meal, but underneath the talking, both boys were trying to read one another, wondering what the other felt about the night that lay before them. Heero was watching Duo closely, waiting for the tell-tale signs that he was ready to give up and cry 'uncle' before he had to go through with his scheme. Duo usually started to fidget and unconsciously play with the end of his braid, sometimes bringing it up to run over the grooves in his neck.

On the other hand, Duo was (somewhat) covertly monitoring Heero's actions as well. He was waiting for Heero to take him up on his demand and sweep him off to the bedroom to have his way with his husband. Duo kept trying to tell himself that he should just accept the fact that he and Heero probably slept together on a nightly basis, but in his mind, he was still a 16-year-old virgin who wasn't even really sure he was gay.

He nearly yipped in panic when Heero finally stood up and brought his plate over to the sink. He came back for Duo's and the braided boy looked up at him with wide violet eyes, waiting, muscles tensed like a rabbit about to bolt before the predator pounced.

"Are you finished?" Heero asked, motioning to Duo's plate. Duo nodded stiffly, making no move to help clear the table until Heero was back over by the counter. When Heero turned to him again, Duo jerked back a little and the gravy boat that he had been carrying slipped through his suddenly limp fingers. Luckily, Heero managed to catch it before it shattered on the linoleum and after he set it in the sink, he looked seriously at Duo.

"Don't you think it's time you called off this charade?" he asked. They had come so far in the last couple of days, and he was tired of Duo acting so flighty around him again. He wanted to get back to their routine and not have to be reminded of what he was missing.

Duo set his jaw stubbornly. He was a little ashamed of his reaction and he forced himself to calm down before Heero called it off for good. "No. And I'm not acting—this is who I was."

Heero let out a huff of a laugh. "The Duo I knew would have jumped at the chance to spend all night with me. We get so little free time that he liked to thoroughly enjoy what time we had."

Duo smirked—Heero was trying to goad him into giving up. That was fine; Duo liked a challenge and the prospect of convincing Heero of his willingness to keep his word kept his mind off of what they were actually going to do. Unexpectedly, he pounced, taking Heero's phrase "jump at the chance" literally, and Heero just barely caught his lover as he came at him. He shuffled Duo around a bit, getting a good grip under his ass to support him. Duo draped his arms over Heero's shoulders and looked down at him with a sultry grin that was only half-forced. "Then you've got all night to show me what you're made of, Tough-Guy. Convince me that you're such hot stuff. Show me what I've been missing."

His last sentence came out sounding a little too sincere and Heero caught the subtle need in it. It occurred to him then that no matter what happened that night, Duo was not giving up because, in some small way, he wanted this. Unconsciously, Duo must have realized that he was missing something in his life and he was trying to find it in order to make himself feel complete again. Despite his lack of memory, he knew there was more to life now than what his head was telling him and Duo was a fighter—he would figure it out or die trying.

Heero, too, was done being reticent. He couldn't deny his partner what he wanted, especially when he himself wanted it so badly that he ached for it. He would take Duo at his word—he would show the other boy what he was missing and try to give Duo his life—if not his memories—back. Present Duo or Past Duo, it didn't matter—all that mattered was that he was here and he wanted it.

The Wing pilot allowed a slow smile to cross his face and when Duo saw it, he grinned in return, looking like the cat who ate a whole cageful of canaries. Apparently, his powers of persuasion had not dulled over the years. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Heero's without hesitation. It felt natural, an easy gesture now that he had made up his mind to go with the flow instead of paddling desperately against it. So he was gay, ok. So he and Heero apparently had hot, wild sex on their weekends off. Ok. He could deal. And besides, he had already established that, at the very least, kissing Heero felt good, so why not let himself give in to the pleasure instead of fighting it, which at this point seemed like a rather dumb thing to do?

Why not indeed?

Heero kissed him back, smiling into their kiss so his lips parted. Duo shoved his way inside the other boy's mouth, kissing him hot and deep, proving via his ardor his commitment to go through with this without chickening out. Heero welcomed his advance, squeezing Duo's ass where he still held it to keep him in his arms. Duo arched his body closer, moving against Heero like a very affectionate cat—an aggressive, untamed one that had left his inhibitions behind. Heero turned and crushed Duo back against the fridge; there was a crash from inside as a few of the lighter condiments took a fall but both boys ignored it as they continued to kiss one another with abandon.

Duo growled at the mild pain of his back connecting with the hard metal, not all that surprised to find that Heero's slight roughness turned him on rather than frightened him. He knew how strong Heero was and that his friend was in complete control of it, so there was no chance of him truly being hurt by the other boy. He ran his hands down Heero's shoulders to wrap them around his upper arms. He had always been impressed by Heero's muscles before—a little jealous, granted—and now he wondered if it hadn't been attraction all the time and he'd just never accepted it. As Heero started moving again, this time carrying him out through the living room and presumably towards the stairs, Duo figured it was something to think about at a time when he was less fully occupied.

They made it to the bedroom without any casualties and once there Heero kicked the door open and marched straight over to deposit Duo on the bed. He made sure to leave the door ajar, just in case his lover wasn't as cool about this new development as he let on and needed an escape route. He shed his dress shirt with impressive celerity, flinging it in the direction of his dresser. That left him in just the thin tank-top and jeans. Duo sat up a little, pushing himself back to rest against the pillows to watch as Heero took off his shirt.

"I seem to remember this scenario," he said offhandedly, referring to the last two nights when Heero had carried him up to bed.

Heero immediately picked up on Duo's need to keep things light and responded in kind to put his lover at ease. "I don't remember stripping for you last time," he quipped. He sat beside Duo on the bed and reached out to play with his braid.

Duo let him. "Hmm, maybe I was just dreaming last time, then?" he replied coyly (he was no stranger to flirting). He moved so he could reach the buttons on his shirt, following Heero's example. Getting naked was ok with him—they'd seen each other in the nude before, if only briefly on missions. Oh, and that sponge bath in the hospital. He paused when Heero reached out to stop his hands.

"Let me," the former Wing pilot said and waited until Duo nodded before he took on the job himself. Duo watched as Heero slowly unbuttoned his lavender shirt. As more of his pale chest was revealed, his skin began to tingle wherever Heero's warm fingers touched him as he worked on undressing him. His stomach muscles clenched and he drew in a sharp breath when Heero, seeing how sensitive he was, deliberately ran his hand over his flat belly. He pushed Duo's shirt open and reached up to rest both his hands over his defined hipbones, rubbing his thumbs into the grooves that led down into his low-slung pants. Duo breathed out with a little sound of pleasure—he hated to admit it, but Heero seemed to know right where to touch him to get a reaction. He watched in stunned wonder as the other boy bent his head to kiss him there, right above the hem of his pants.

Duo let himself fall back onto the bed, allowing Heero room to do what he wanted for now. Heero saw his chance and came back up to hover over Duo's torso. He lightly brushed aside the golden cross where it had pooled on its chain in the hollow of Duo's throat. He replaced it with his lips, then teeth, sucking and licking at Duo's neck and lavishing him with kisses that made him throw back his head in a silent request for more.

After a while, Heero began to move lower, worshipping Duo's chest with his tongue. His lover squirmed when he bit lightly at his nipples but didn't try to stop him. "Goddamn, Heero how'd you get so good at this?" he said between breaths. He wasn't panicking yet—this wasn't anything he wouldn't let a girl do to him. (And now that he had stopped fighting it, he could secretly accept that he got a strange pleasure out of knowing that it was _Heero_ doing those things.)

Heero looked up at him and licked his lips. "I've had a lot of practice," he deadpanned. Duo couldn't help but chuckle and didn't stop when Heero covered his lips with his own. He brought his arms up around Heero's back, holding the other boy to him. Heero let most of his weight rest on Duo, knowing the other boy could take it, and Duo moaned into his mouth when Heero's pelvis dug into his groin. Duo was already partially aroused from Heero's attentions and feeling the pressure on his cock made his hips thrust up, seeking more stimulation, just as he had their last night in the hospital when Heero had fallen on him after he collapsed. Heero pushed back down, giving Duo the friction he craved.

After kissing for a few more moments, Heero reached down between them to start undoing Duo's pants. The braided boy tensed for a second, then relaxed again and Heero went on without stopping, pushing the button open, unzipping, and then one-handedly peeling them off of his lover. Duo helped by arching up against him, allowing Heero time to get them down over his ass. Now Duo's bare cock ground against the front of Heero's jeans, which he actually found sort of sexy. He could appreciate Heero's appeal and having the other boy clothed while he was not somehow made the whole thing dirtier—in a good way.

Once Duo's pants were down far enough for him to kick them off himself, Heero moved his hand to his own, but looked up in surprise to find that Duo had beat him to it. "Let me," Duo said, echoing his words from earlier. Heero smirked and nodded for Duo to continue. He let the other boy unbutton and unzip him, and when he moved to take the jeans off, Duo stopped him again. "Leave them on—and the wife beater. I like it."

"That's always been one of your kinks," Heero told him amusedly, but they didn't dwell on that revelation at the moment. Instead, Heero reached up over Duo to fumble in the drawer of their small nightstand. Duo couldn't see what he got, but he watched as Heero moved off of him, instead kneeling between his open legs. Their eyes met and Heero looked serious again. "I'm going to prepare you, Duo, so it doesn't hurt when I go inside of you." Duo, although he hadn't thought he was gay himself, knew in theory how those that were had sex. His first education had been on L2 and it was hard to avoid learning, among other things like drugs and violence, about sex, no matter whom it was between.

Still, knowing about it and having it done to him were two completely different things. He nodded jerkily and squeezed the phrase "'s green" out from between clenched teeth. Heero could see that Duo was nervous again and he tried to bring back some of their easy banter from earlier, as that always seemed to calm the other boy.

"This is the easy part, soldier—don't be a coward," he teased, playing off of Duo's military-esque safety word. He uncapped the bottle of lube he'd gotten and poured some into his palm to warm it.

Duo snorted. "Easy for you to say—this is my first time!" he reminded the other boy. He tensed as he felt Heero touch his thigh and then his ass, opening him so he could spread the lube over his entrance. Heero continued talking, keeping Duo focused on his voice and not what his hands were doing. Generally, his husband enjoyed this part of their lovemaking, but he could understand how he just wanted to get it over with now—he had been like that the first time too.

"Add some zeros to that first 'one' and then you'd be close to how many times we've done it," he said.

Duo sucked in a shaky breath as Heero began to rub one finger over his asshole but at this point he was so aroused already that he couldn't tell if he was more afraid or turned on by his partner's contact. He closed his eyes for a moment as Heero's first finger breeched him, just the tip sliding in, and then gave the other boy a sarcastic look. "Please don't tell me you know the exact number of times we've had sex, Mr. Prefect Soldier."

Heero shrugged—he didn't, really, but he pretended he did for the sake of argument. It was a little hard to focus as he felt Duo's inner muscles clamp down on his finger as though welcoming it, but he tried to concentrate on their semi-conversation. "Well, that depends on your definition of 'sex'." He slid his finger all the in and then paused, waiting to see Duo's reaction. His lover winced, but didn't pull away so he started moving it lightly in and out.

Duo heaved a shaky breath as Heero's finger breeched him fully. The feeling of Heero's finger inside of him was strange, but not unpleasant. He had just begun to relax again, to think of something else to talk about, when Heero hit something inside of him that made his fractured nerves sing. His spine bowed on its own and he gasped in surprise.

"Wh-what the hell?" he demanded. Heero smirked down at him, still moving his finger in and out at an even pace.

"See, isn't gay sex nice? You'd never feel that having sex with a woman," Heero told him. His smugness was transparent—he knew how good of a lover he was and he was just beginning to realize what kind of leverage he actually had on Duo. Duo may not remember having sex before, but Heero was an expert and he knew just how Duo liked it. Their true first night had been good but it was full of amateurish fumbling that they laughed about later. Now, however, Heero could make things perfect the first time. He smiled at the idea as he carefully added another finger, stretching Duo's entrance. Duo groaned out a "yeeaaahhh" in response and tossed his head on the pillow, causing the loose hairs of his braid to get all frizzy which Heero thought was rather endearing.

He eventually made it up to three fingers, being extra careful to make sure that Duo was prepped fully, as it had been longer than usual since they had last had sex. He felt a secret little thrill that Duo was going to be tighter than usual. (Once in a while they tried to go without for a few days, just for fun, but it was rare that they ever got that far—sex was just too much of a part of their lives now. Being soldiers, both young men were used to the stoic life and were trained to act rather than speak. Their tendency had carried over into their later relationship where even though they may not explicitly express their love for one another, they spoke through their actions and acted on their emotions. Not that their relationship would fall apart without the sex, but it was much stronger because of it.)

"Are you ready, Duo?" Heero asked after he withdrew his fingers and coated his cock with more lube.

By now Duo was almost lost in sensation, having given himself over to it at the outset of their lovemaking session. He was breathing hard and sweat glimmered on his exposed skin, matting his sticky bangs over his forehead. His legs shook a little from holding them open for Heero and his hands were firmly clutching the bed sheets. He dimly heard Heero ask if he was ready and the question brought him back to his senses a little. Was he ready to take this final step? Could he let Heero do this to him? Would it hurt when Heero shoved his cock up his ass? (He'd seen Heero's package before on various missions and although it had seemed a normal size then (if on the large side), thinking about that length being forced up his ass was something totally different.) On the other hand, could he afford not to do this? Not to allow himself (and Heero) to be as they once were, happy and content in their relationship? No. He couldn't let this opportunity pass.

"I-I'm ready, Heero. Please," he huffed. Heero gave him a tender look and reached up to touch his cheek.

"That's my Duo," he said proudly. "Just relax and let yourself feel. Feel what I do to you." He leaned down to kiss Duo and at the same time gently pressed himself inside. He had prepped Duo well enough that he met with no resistance and easily sheathed himself in a couple of short pushes. He felt Duo tense and relax convulsively underneath him, as though he wasn't sure how to react, but, after a moment, the smaller boy let loose a stuttering sigh and slid his legs around Heero, cradling him between them invitingly. Heero took that as his cue that Duo was ok with what they were doing, and began to thrust in earnest, plunging in and out of his lover with an increasingly fast pace.

Duo was more than ok. He moaned and thrashed beneath his partner, which was characteristic of Heero's genki lover—Duo was never content to just lie back and let Heero do all the work. As he got comfortable with the motions of their actions, Duo began to lift his hips to meet Heero's thrusts, causing him to go deeper than he could have on his own, giving them both more pleasure. He found that he loved the feeling of Heero's hot length filling him over and over, mixed with the rough scraping of his jeans against his ass. He whispered things that Heero could barely hear, keeping up a steady stream of sighs and broken words.

After a few more minutes, Heero could feel himself already near the brink, his body begging for release after so long without it. He wanted Duo to come when he did, so he slid his hand between them and gripped his lover's cock in a slippery hand. He made a tight sheath of it and began to stroke Duo rhythmically in time with their lunges. Duo cried out at the new, incredible feeling and a second later, Heero felt him start to come, his warm fluid pumping forth to coat his hand and belly. The clenching of Duo's inner muscles around his cock sent Heero over the edge too and with a last brutal thrust he stilled and came inside his lover, filling him completely.

Duo collapsed a moment before Heero did, energy spent from their exertions. He welcomed Heero's weight when his lover fell down onto him, his arms too tired to hold him up any longer. Heero managed to lift his head and look at Duo long enough to ask, "Are you all right?" to which Duo smiled warmly and nodded.

"All green, soldier," he said, reassuring Heero that he was not going to freak out now that they were finished. In fact, he felt more at ease than he had in a long time—mostly because his limbs wouldn't move on their own, but also his spirit felt at rest, settled and content to have found what they were missing to be complete. Heero gave him a sleepy grin and laid his head back down on Duo's chest, closing his eyes. Duo wrapped limp arms around Heero's back and moved his head a little so he could bury his face in Duo's neck.

As Heero dozed, Duo remained awake, letting Heero sleep quietly. He knew how much emotional turmoil he had put his partner through during the last week and now it was the other boy's turn to rest and relax. He petted Heero's hair lazily, running his fingers through the dark strands as he had the other night on the couch. Heero moaned a little in his sleep and nudged his neck with his nose before stilling again and moving into deeper dreams. Duo grinned at the endearing motion and then closed his eyes as well, letting his fingers eventually fall still as he, too, began to sleep.


	11. Epilogue

Just a short bit to round out the story. As always, thank you to everyone who read and especially those who left such lovely comments. That's the end of this one, but soon I'll start posting a new GW fic. Preview: Duo and Heero are chained together until their get over their bad attitudes to one another. Smut to follow^^.

**Epilogue: Remembering **

An hour later, Heero awoke again, reenergized after his post-coital nap. It was still fairly early in the evening and as he hadn't done anything strenuous that day (other, of course, than "do the nasty" with his husband and gun down a few game zombies), he didn't require much sleep to recharge. Normally, if they had gone to bed this early, both boys would have rested for a bit before going again and Heero was used to that routine even if Duo was not.

He yawned a little and stirred, not surprised to find himself still in the same arrangement he had fallen asleep in. His muscles ached a bit from staying so long in the same position, so he slowly shifted his hips a little and pulled out of Duo so that he could lie down beside his lover instead of on top of him. He was hoping not to wake Duo yet, but he didn't really expect the other boy to sleep through his movements.

Duo felt it when Heero pulled out and he opened his eyes, immediately looking over at his bed partner. He grinned, still looking thoroughly debauched and proud of it. "Morning, handsome," he drawled, voice dark with sleep.

Heero smirked. "Hardly—it being morning, I mean. It's only been an hour."

Duo yawned and stretched. "You and your internal clock, love. That mean you're ready to go again? We may as well get in as much as we can this week before Une comes to drag our asses back to work."

Heero, in the middle of yawning again (it was contagious), nearly choked and looked over at Duo in wide-eyed surprise. "What, Duo? Are you still asleep?" he asked. The only times Duo had reverted back to his normal self were when he was sleep-talking, but he had seemed pretty awake to Heero a moment ago.

Duo raised a confused eyebrow. "Uh, does it look like I'm still asleep? I can show you one part of me that's already wide awake..." He said the last part with a sultry grin and after he stripped off the shirt he was still wearing, he rolled over to press himself against Heero, proving just how bright-eyed and bushy-tailed a certain part of his anatomy was. Heero let out a little sound of arousal at the feeling of Duo's warm body over him, but then he tried to sit up on his elbows to look at Duo properly.

"Duo? Are you ok? What happened? You didn't hit your head again, did you?" This couldn't be real, could it? Heero wondered. Duo was acting as if the past week had never happened and he had mentioned Commander Une, something he wasn't supposed to know about unless…unless he'd gotten his memory back. Was that even possible?

The braided boy frowned and sat up, still straddling his lover's hips. "What do you mean, 'did I hit my head'? What are you talking…about..?" He trailed off, getting a distant look in his violet eyes. Heero watched as Duo froze above him, sitting perfectly still as he started to remember what had happened after his injury.

"Oh my god…You mean—did that really happen? I thought it was a dream…" Duo said softly, still looking away from his lover. Suddenly, he blinked and brought his hand down to smack Heero loudly on the arm.

"You ass!" he said in outrage, "How could you not tell me it was our anniversary? That's only the second most important day of our lives!"

Heero, after he took a moment to get over the shock of Duo's rapid-fire change of emotions, couldn't help but grin. Somehow, he had gotten Duo back. The other boy seemed to remember all his past life, including the time he had spent without a memory of the last two years. At the moment, Heero was too happy to question how it had happened—he was just thrilled that Duo remembered.

"In that case, there's one more important thing that I didn't tell you," he said solemnly, reaching up to cup Duo's cheek in the palm of his hand.

Duo's stomach clenched in fear at Heero's serious tone. What else had his lover tried to shield him from when he had had no memory? He flinched in surprise when Heero sat up to kiss him quickly.

"I didn't tell you how beautiful you looked tonight. The make-up was a nice touch."

Duo chuckled and kissed him back, following him back down to lie on the bed. "Mmm-hmm, nice try, Yuy. Thanks for the compliment, but it's going to take more than that to make me forgive you. _And_ I seem to remember you molesting me in the hospital when I was too weak to stop you…so you owe me payback for that too." He kissed Heero again and rubbed himself against the other boy, teasing him.

Heero grunted and in one swift motion, flipped them over so he was pressing Duo into the mattress. "Well, I seem to remember telling _you_ to not go crawling around on the roof, so I think that makes us even." Duo tried to protest, but Heero stopped him with a finger to his lips. "That, and I still haven't given you your anniversary gift. If nothing else, that should make up for everything."

His husband perked right back up and wriggled beneath him happily. "Ooh, presents! What'd you get me? I think I hid yours in the attic crawlspace."

Heero, as curious as he was about what was waiting for him in the attic, wasn't about let Duo go that easily. He reached down to grope the other boy, rolling his soft balls in his hand. "Don't run off just yet, lover. We still have some missed time to make up for." Duo whimpered at Heero's touch and let himself relax back against the pillows.

"Well, if you insist," he said, and opened his legs for Heero so he could have more room to work. Heero laughed at the other boy's easy acquiescence and squeezed him again.

"If you're sure…We could always just stop and open—"

"Heero!" Duo growled, "You stop now and I'll leave your present up there till next Christmas!" He thrust himself up into Heero's hand demandingly. Heero, however, pulled away, to which Duo groaned in annoyance.

"I'll continue on one condition: unbraid your hair. I was afraid to ask you to when you didn't remember."

Duo cringed a little at the memory. "Yeah, I probably would have bitten your hand off. Although, maybe not—I did let you brush it out after I got paint in it." He shrugged off the memory, not wanting to dwell on it. Instead, he scooted up a little on the bed and reached back to slide the elastic off the end of his braid before finger-combing it apart so it flowed out around his shoulders. He lay back and Heero immediately bent to bury his face in the long strands of chestnut, breathing in Duo's scent.

"God, I love your hair," he said roughly. Duo smiled and ran his hands up the back of Heero's shirt (which was a little stiff by now after their first round). He pulled it off over Heero's head and the other boy got up briefly to shed his "pre-sex" jeans before joining Duo once more on the bed.

They made love again, the experience all the more powerful as they were reminded of what they had almost lost. Heero switched places with Duo this time, allowing the other boy to be on top. He sat up, back against the headboard with Duo in his lap. Duo raised himself up on his knees, hands braced behind him on Heero's thighs, before quickly lowering himself down onto his lover's hard cock. He immediately began bouncing up and down on it, impaling himself almost brutally as though he wanted to brand the feeling and the moment into his memory so he would never run the risk of forgetting again. Heero met his downward thrusts with his own upward motions, snapping his hips up to bury himself in his husband again and again. He put his arms around Duo, hugging him close as he began to come again and Duo scratched up his back, howling with pleasure as he did as well.

Spent, they fell back sideways on the bed, each breathing deeply from the exertion.

"You know," Duo gasped as he reached up to push his hair back from his face, "I think I've figured out the cure to memory loss."

"Huh mmn?" Heero mumbled, eyes closed as he rested.

"Mind-blowing sex," Duo said matter-of-factly. "It acts just like a kick to the head, and hitting my head was what caused me to forget in the first place. You just had to wipe my mind completely blank for a moment again so I could start over where I left off."

Heero rolled his eyes. "So you're saying sex with me is like a kick to the head?"

Duo tried to actually kick his lover but only managed to drape one limp leg over his. "I'm saying that only sex with you is enough to wipe everything else from my mind. Nothing else that I saw or did could completely fill my head with one solid memory. Only you could, Heero."

Heero, too tired to move far, took Duo's hand from where it lay over his chest and brought it up to kiss the palm. "How can I argue with that?" Then he licked it playfully. "Now you just have to explain that theory to your doctor when you go in for your check-up on Monday."

"Not him again!" Duo protested. Then his mind moved to other things. "So, as soon as I get some feeling back in my legs, it's present time, right?"

Heero sighed: it was good to have his husband back.

~Fin~


End file.
